




•^ "*^c,^' .' 









' ^'^^^'i- 



.^/ /'"^ °'TO^- /% --^ 




sv .. »*'*^'*/ "^^^--^''V* "v^^^'*/ 












** *-Tr;.' V-' 



k\ "es. A* ♦ 



'- '^«. <.**" .t<<\,V/»;« -e^ ^' ♦* 






. -^^^^^ 






\ "-^0 



• "^0^ 




jp-^*.. V 






/\ 



.*'' .• 



' %.„.^°/^- %/ :^- %.o^^° '*-^ 













«o 







Grammar-School History 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES, 



BY 

L. A. FIELD. 






Jas. p. Harrison & Co., Publishers. 

ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 
188S. 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1885, 

By L. A. FIELD, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 









PREFACE. 



The author has studied with special reference to the wants of chil- 
dren and teachers in our academies and common schools. A long 
experience in public school work has given every opportunity for the 
appreciation of such wants. We need a book free from sectional 
prejudice, brief and accurate in its statements, but attractive and in- 
teresting throughout, and yet so simple in style as to be brought 
readily within the comprehension of the children who are expected 
to use it. To such an end has the labor in its preparation been 
directed. 

The division and arrangement of paragraph, chapter, and section 
have been carefully made. The headings of paragraphs are given in 
heavy type, that teachers may be assisted in topical recitations. 

The dates are placed in the margin, and only those of prominent 
events are introduced into the text, in order that the student's mind 
may not be unnecessarily burdened. 

The pronunciation of a difficult j)roper name is given the first time 
such a word occurs ; and a brief explanation follows each new term 
when it is introduced. 

After an account of the different discoveries made on the continent, 
the history of each colony is given, concisely, to the beginning of the 
Revolution. 

The principal events of each presidential administration are stated 
in order at the beginning of the chapter which is devoted to the his- 
tory of the term. The civil war is treated in a brief, impartial man- 
ner ; extreme views and disputed questions have been avoided. 



IV PREFACE. 

Only leading facts have been selected, but they are presented with 
an effort to give clearness of perception in the mind of the pupil, and 
at the same time to keep the thread of the story continuous and to 
avoid unnecessary details. 

Progress in education, and in social and domestic life, is traced 
from one period to another. This serves to break the monotony that 
is often found in the history of war and politics, by bringing back to 
us scenes in the home-life of long ago. The school-days of that time 
are brought into striking contrast with the improved educational sys- 
tems of to-day. 

Short sketches of important characters, anecdotes, etc , have been 
added in notes, in smaller type than the text, and may be made sub- 
jects of study, when time allows. They are intended to cultivate a 
taste for the study of biography and for historical research. Refer- 
ence is also made to the works of the best authors to be consulted 
in connection with the subjects treated. 

Questions for review, tables of battles, and chronological summaries 
of events, follow the close of each section. 

Maps showing the territorial growth of the country, and others 
tracing the marches of armies, have been prepared with great care, 
and with special reference to use in the school-room. 

The statements of numbers engaged in battles during the late war 
have been taken from the ''Official Records of the Rebellion," as far 
as they have been issued ; also from the reports of the adjutant- 
general of the **Army of Northern Virginia," Gen. Walter H. Taylor, 
published in his book, "Four Years with Lee." The information 
which could not be obtained from these sources was found in Stephens' 
"History of the United States." 

The original drawings for illustrations 'have been prepared by Mr. 
Horace Bradley, of Atlanta. The wood engravings were made by 
Miss Georgia Greene, in New York. She was formerly a teacher in 
the Atlanta public schools. 
Atlanta, July, 1885. 



CONTENTS, 



SECTION I— Discoveries. 

Chapter. Page. 

1. Discoveries of Columbus 1 

2. The American Indians 8 

3. English and Spanish Explorers 11 

4. The French ]5 

5. The English 17 

6. The Dutch 20 

SECTION II— Settlements. 

1. Settlement of Virginia 23 

2. Settlement of Virginia continued 29 

3. New England Colonies 32 

4. Settlement of Rhode Island 38 

5. Connecticut 40 

6. Confederation of New England 43 

7. King Pliilip's War 47 

8. Settlement of New York 51 

9. New Jersey. 56 

10. Pennsylvania 58 

11. Delaware 60 

12. Maryland 61 

13. North Carolina 64 

14. South Carolina 67 

15. Georgia 72 

SECTION III— French Claims. 

1. French Settlements and Discoveries 78 

2. The French and Indian War 81 

3. Events of 1756-1758 86 

4. Events of 1759-1763 89 



VI CONTENTS. 

SECTION IV— The American Revolution. 

1. Causes Which Led to the War 94 

2. Events of 1775 101 

3. " '' 1776 108 

4. " " 1777 115 

5. " ''1778 121 

6. '' " 1779 125 

•7. " "1780 129 

8. " " 1781. .. 137 

Advancement of the Colonies 147 

SECTION V— The United States. 

1. The Government 154 

2. Washington's Administration 155 

3. Adams' Administration 159 

4. Jefferson's Administration 161 

5. Madison's Administration 166 

6. Events of 1813 172 

7. Events of 1814 177 

8. Monroe's Administration 181 

9. John Q. Adams' Administration 184 

10. Jackson's Administration 187 

11. Van Buren's Administration. 191 

12. Administrations of Harrison and Tyler 194 

13. Polk's Administration 196 

14. Administrations of Taylor and Fillmore 202 

15. Pierce's Administration 204 

16. Buchanan's Administration ...... 207 

SECTION VI -War Between the States. 

1. Lincoln's Administration. 217 

2. First Year of the War 219 

3. Second Year of the War 226 

4. Second Year of the War continued 231 

5. Third Year of the War 241 

6. Fourth Year of the War 249 

7. Fourth Year of the War continued 256 

8. The Last Year of the War. ' 262 



CONTENTS. VII 

SECTION VII— Reconstruction. 

1. Johnson's Administration 272 

2. Grant's Administration 275 

3. Hayes' Administration 280 

4. Administrations of Garfield and Arthur 283 

CONCLUSION. 

Topics for Review 22 

Dates of Discovery 22 

Dates of Settlement 76 

Review of Important Events : 76 

Topics for Review 77 

Principal Battles of the Revolution 144 

Review of Important Events 145 

Questions for Review 146 

Review of Important Events 213 

Review of Important Events 267 

Topics for Review 269 

APPENDIX. 

The Declaration of Independence. 
Constitution of the United States. 
Index. 



LIST OF MAPS. 
Map. . Page. 

1. English Colonies and French Claims 88-89 

2. Map of Quebec 90 

3. Boston and Vicinity 105 

4. Campaigns of the Revolution 112-113 

5. Campaigns of the War of 1812-1814 168 

6. Campaigns in Mexico 199 

7. Map Illustrating the War of 1861-5 221 

8. The Peninsular Campaign 232 

9. The Valley Campaign 234 

10 Sherman's March to the Sea 260 

1 1. Map Showing Territorial Growth 290-291 



HISTORY OF IHE UNITED STATES. 

SECTION I.-DISCOVERIES. 




CHAPTER I. 

THE DISCOVERIES OF COLUMBUS. 

1. Maps.— Our maps of the world 
show us the vast continent of Ameri- 
ca, reaching from the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, far 
beyond the Equator, towards the South Pole. Four hun- 
dred years ago, the people of Europe and Asia knew noth- 
ing about this great country. They believed that the earth 
was flat, and that the ocean lay around its edges. But few 



2 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1450 

of them had sailed very far into this ocean, and they could 
not tell what might be found beyond it.**^ 

2. The Earth a Sphere. — During the fifteenth century, 
some of the more learned and scientific men began to think 
the earth might be a sphere ; but the maps and charts 
drawn by them represented only parts of the Eastern Conti- 
nent, with what is now called the Atlantic Ocean, because 
they believed there was only one continent and one ocean. 

3. India.— Gold and beautiful jewels and rich silks were 
brought from India, at that time, and, for many years, the 
merchants engaged in trading with this country had carried 
on their commerce by a long, tedious route — by boats over 
the Mediterranean Sea and by caravans over land. This 
made the journey to and from India one of great labor, and 
one which consumed much time ; for this reason, the na- 
tions of Europe were seeking a shorter or easier way. Many 
voyages were undertaken, in different directions ; but no 

a The Northmen. — The men who lived in Norway, Sweden, and Den- 
mark many years ago were called the Northmen or Norsemen. They 
loved the sea, and some of them went as far west as Iceland, where they 
made settlements during the ninth century. Others continued their voy- 
ages to Greenland. There were stories told, in those days, of ships that 
had been driven westward by storms until they reached the shores of a 
country that had never bee a visited before. 

t> Vinland.— One of their traditions says that Lief (life), the son of an 
old Norwegian sailor named Er'-ic, started with thirty-five com- 
' panions and sailed upon the western waters in search of a new 
country, intending to begin new settlements. At length they 
reached a land, far to the southwest from Greenland, in which they 
found grapes in great abundance ; from this circumstance, they called 
the country Vinland. After spending some time upon its coast, they 
returned home. From their descriptions of the place it is supposed that 
they they had come to New England. In this way the people of Norway 
claim to have been the first discoverers of North America. 

Wales and Ireland also claim the discovery of the New World in a sim- 
ilar way; but every settlement in Greenland had been destroyed, and that 
wild western country entirely forgotten long before America was really 
known to the world. 



1492 THE DISCOVERIES OF COLUMBUS. 3 

vessel had then sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, and 
they were not sure that^lndia could be reached by water. 

4. Columbus.— Christopher Columbus/ a native of 
Genoa, in Italy, had spent much of his life upon the sea; 
he had sailed to the Madeira Islands and to the Canaries. 
When he returned from his voyages, he busied himself, draw- 
ing and studying charts. He, as well as other thoughtful 
men of his day, had noticed that when the shadow of the 
earth fell upon the moon, during an eclipse, its shape was 
round, and he soon became convinced that the new belief 
of the scientific men was well founded. A careful study of 
their maps assured him that India was on the opposite 
side of the unknown ocean, and that by sailing westward 
he would find that passage to India which so many were 
seeking. 

5. Preparations for the Vovage. — But he could not go 
alone. Ships and men and supplies were necessary for this 
great undertaking. He applied to Portugal, and then to 
Spain for aid, while he sent his brother to England on a 
similar errand. Long years were spent in efforts to convince 
the kings of these countries that a westward voyage would 

c Christopher Columbus.— In the town of Genoa, one of the sea- 
ports of Italy, it is generally believed that Christopher Columbus was 
born, about 1435. He was the son of a wool-comber and the eldest of four 
children. Though his father was too poor to give him many advantages, 
he vvas sent to school long enough to learn something of mathematics 
and astronomy, and afterwards he went to the University of Pavia. 
When he was fourteen, he went to sea ; the principal part of his life, from 
that time, was passed on ship-board, or in preparation for his great enter- 
pi ise of discovery. His business, when on land, was that of making maps 
and charts ; and he generally saved a share of his small income for the 
support of his father and for the education of his younger brothers. He 
was devotedly pious, and believed that he had been chosen by God to 
" carry the true faith into the uttermost parts of the earth." During the 
eighteen years, through which he labored and waited, from the beginning 
to the accomplishment of his plans, nothing turned him from his brave 
purpose. 



4 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1492 

lead to India ; but the geographers only laughed at him,^ 
and the kings would not consent to give the money he 
needed. At last, his plan was explained to Isabella, the 
queen of Spain. She listened with deep interest as she 
began to understand how valuable such a discovery would 
be to Spain, and she determined that the eflfort should be 
made: "I will pawn my jewels to defray the cost," she ex- 
claimed. Three vessels^ were fitted out for him and manned 
by more than one hundred sailors. The treasurer of the 
kingdom furnished the money, and so it was not necessary 
to take Isabella's jewels. 

6. His Departure. — At last, after many years, his toil 

and perseverance were to be rewarded. He had 
14.Q9 ' become a gray-haired man, nearlj^ sixty years of 
age. On Friday, August 3d, 1492, he started 
out upon his great voyage of discovery. The last moments 
before his departure were spent in prayer for the guidance 
and protection of Heaven, and then he and his companions 
sailed out from Palos (pah'-los), a port of Spain, upon the 
untried sea. Their friends wept as they watched the 
ships leave the shore, fearing that they would never see 
them return. 

7. The Voyage.— A month passed before they reached 
the Canary Islands. There they were delayed, repairing 

^ Some of the wisest men of those days could not believe that the earth 
was round. In opposition to the ideas of Columbus, they said : "Is there 
any one so foolish as to believe that there are antipodes with their feet 
opposite to ours— people who walk with their heels upward and their 
heads hanging down ?— that there is a part of the world in which all 
things are topsy-turvey ; where the trees grow with their branches down- 
ward, and where it rains, hails, and snows upward?" They imagined 
that the distant waters of the ocean were inhabited by hideous monsters, 
which devoured every living creature within their reach ; and that the 
region of the torrid zone was so intensely heated that even the waves of 
the sea boiled upon the shores they washed against. 

«The names of the vessels were the Pinta (peen'-tah), Santa Maria (ma- 
re'-ah), and the Ninah (ne'-nah). 



1492 THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. i> 

one of the vessels which had received an injury on the way. 
After leaving the Canaries, the sailors lost courage. Storms 
tossed their frail ships, and the waters widened between 
them and home. When they saw the needle of their com- 
pass turning toward the northwest, they believed they were 
lost upon a trackless sea, and were only moving onward to 
to destruction. The trade-winds, wafting them so steadily 
in the same direction, day after day, was a new source of 
alarm. They were sure they could never sail back against 
it. The bravest among them shed tears ; others uttered 
wild cries of grief and despair. When they entered the Sar- 
gasso Sea and found the waters covered with weeds many 
miles around them, they were in constant terror lest their 
vessels might be wrecked by striking against the shallow 
bottom, from which they supposed the sea- weeds were grow- 
ing. Columbus knew that they were anxious to turn back, 
and that some of them were desperate enough to throw him 
overboard, if he refused to yield to their wishes ; yet, firm 
in his purpose, he pushed bravely forward. 

8. Liand.— Days and nights of sorrow and dread dragged 
by. At length, they saw birds flying before 
^^*- l^' them, and pieces of timber and cane floating 
^ in the water. One of the sailors picked up a 

branch of fresh berries that had drifted near them. These 
things made them hope that land was not far ofi: All was 
excitement on board the ships ; each one was eager to catch 
the first glimpse of the shore. The sun went down, but 
still they watched and waited. About ten o'clock, Colum- 
bus saw a light shining over the water from a fire before 
them. A gun was fired from one of the other vessels. This 
signal had been agreed upon, and was understood by all; it 
was followed by a shout of joy announcing that land was in 

sight. 

9. San Salvador.— The morning showed them a beau- 
tiful green island. Columbus dressed himself in his scarlet 



6 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1492 



uniform, and stepped into a boat that had been 
1492 lowered from the ship. He carried the Span- 
ish flag in his hands while his men rowed him 
to the shore. In gratitude for the success which had re- 
warded his anxiety and peril, he knelt to kiss the ground 
and give thanks to God. Then drawing his sword, he 
took possession in the name of Spain. He named the 
island ^ San Salvador (Holy Saviour). 

10. Indians. — The natives were wild men of a copper 
color. They flocked around the new-comers, staring with 
wonder. They supposed the ships to be huge sea-birds, and 
the men, visitors from Heaven. The island resembled so 
closely the islands of India in soil, climate, and productions, 
that Columbus thought he had indeed found the country 
he sought, and he called the natives Indians. 

11. Other Discoveries. — For the double purpose of ex- 
tending his discoveries and of searching for gold, Columbus 
sailed beyond San Salvador and visited Cuba, Hayti, and 
several other West India Islands, but he did not reach the 
mainland. 

12. His Return. — At their own request, a party of his 
men were left to found a colony at San Domingo, on the 
island of Hayti. One of his vessels had been left a wreck 
on a wild coast he had visited, another had deserted from 
his command ; this left him but one small ship in which 
to make the long voyage home. His arrival in the port of 
Palos produced the most intense joy among the people. 
Bells were rung throughout the town ; all places of business 
were closed, that every one might take part in the welcome 
they wished to give the famous seamen, whom many had 
regarded as lost. 

From Palos, Columbus hastened to Barcelona to report his 
discoveries to the king and queen., He had brought with 

* San Salvador was one ot the Bahama Islands, called by the natives 
Guanahani ; it is generally known now as Cat Island. 



1493 THE DISCOVERY OF AMER) JA. 7 

him several of the native Indians, dressed in their savage 
costume, and decked with their simple ornaments of gold. 
Besides these, many curiosities had been collected — speci- 
mens of the productions of the Island, and stuffed birds such 
as had never been seen in Spain. Hundreds crowded to 
see the procession as they journeyed to Barcelona. Near the 
city, Columbus was met by a party of young Spanish noble- 
men, who accompanied him to the presence of the king and 
queen. Ferdinand and Isabella rose and extended their 
hands to greet him. This honor was never paid to any but 
men of rank or military fame. 

13. A Second Voyage.— Believing that he had reached 
^,^ the rich islands of India, and understanding only 
imperfectly what he had learned from the Indians, 
Columbus imagined that the New World contained the best 
countries under the sun. The sovereigns of Spain lost 
no time in preparing another expidition to go out and make 
sure their claims to these newly-discovered regions. Men of 
every class crowded to the ships, eager to embark under so 
renowned a captain, and hopeful of acquiring sudden wealth 
in the land of gold to which they believed he would lead 
them. Fifteen hundred men sailed with him on his second 
voyage. With these he expected to strengthen the little 
Spanish colony that he had left on the new island. But 
when they reached Hayti, few traces of the first colony could 
be found ; not a man remained to tell where his compan- 
ions had gone. Their little fort lay in ruins. 

Columbus called Hayti, Hispaniola (Little Spain). Three 
years were spent by him in exploring other islands, after 
which he again returned to Spain.^ 

K After the return of Columbus from the New World, evil men, envi- 
ous of the honors he had won, so misrepresented him to the king that, 
although he had been appointed governor-general for life of the countries 
he had discovered, Ferdinand, the king of Spain, sent out another gov- 
ernor, who ordered that Columbus should be arrested and sent home in 
chains. After having spent all the money he had made, in attempts to 



8 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1498 



14. South America. — Six years after his first discovery, 
he reached the coast of South America, near the 
' mouth of the Orinoco. This river was so much 
wider and so much deeper than any stream he had seen 
in the islands, that he felt sure he had found a con- 
tinent, and that the continent was Asia. He never knew 
of the mainland of North America, although he had been 
so near its shores. 



CHAPTER XL 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 

1. Appearance. — 

The people whom Co- 
lumbus and the explo- 
rers who followed him 
found in this new coun- 
try were very different 
from the inhabitants of 
Europe. They were of 
a red, copper color, with 
very bright, dark eyes, 
and straight, black hair. 
2. Dress. — They wore 
but little clothing ; their 
only covering was made 
of the skins of wild ani- 
mals. For the feet, they 
made loose shoes, of 
buckskin, ornamented with beads, which they called moc- 

extend his discoveries, many of Ms friends deserted him, and he returned, 
after his fourth voyage, a feeble old man, to Valadolid, where he died at 
the age of seventy years. At his own request, his chains were buried 
with him. Since his burial in Spain, his remains have been removed to 
the cathedral in Havana, Cuba. 




INDIAN LIFE. 



1498 THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 9 

casins. The warriors painted themselves and decked their 
heads with feathers. They were fond of bright colors and 
ornaments, and wore beads made of shell. These shell 
beads, which they called ^'wampum" they also used as money. 

3. Language. — They knew nothing of letters, had no 
written language, and had never seen anything like the 
books we use. The words they spoke were entirely new to 
the Europeans. Many of the geographical names of our 
country were given by the Indians, and are' still retained 
in use. 

4. Customs. — These red men lived by hunting and fish- 
ing, and never remained long in one place. Their houses 
were called ^^ wigwams.^^ They were made by bending sap- 
lings or poles together and fastening them at the top with 
a piece of bark. The skins of animals were then stretched 
over the poles; an opening was left at the top to allow the 
smoke from the fire inside to pass out. These wigwams 
were often grouped together in villages. 

The men spent their time chiefly in the chase, or in the 
wars which the tribes were constantly waging with each 
other; they left all the work in the field and in the wig- 
wam to be done by the women, whom they called "squaws." 
Besides building the home which sheltered him, she gath- 
ered the wood for the fires, cooked his meals, and cultivated 
the ground where the corn and beans were raised. When 
wandering from place to place, she carried the burdens, 
while he sported with his bow. 

The habits of their wild life taught the Indians many 
things that seem wonderful to us. They could travel in a 
straight course through the forest without roads and with 
nothing to guide them but the sun, or the stars, or the moss 
and bark on the trees. They had so trained themselves to 
listen for unusual sounds that it was difficult to surprise 
them. They could discover when they were pursued, by 
placing one ear on the ground and listening for the sounds 



10 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1498 

of footsteps. The Spaniards tried to do the same thing, 
but their untrained ears could not detect a sound. 

5. Weapons. — They had attained wonderful skill in the 
use of the bow and arrow. Their arrow-heads were made 
of sharpened pieces of flinty stone, and sometimes of bone. 
The tomahawk was also a weapon in common use among 
them ; it was a kind of stone hatchet with a wo:)den handle 
about a yard in length. Their knives were made of sharp 
stone or shell. Besides these, their warriors also carried a 
sharp wooden spear. They were trained for war from child- 
hood, and were taught to suffer pain without uttering a 
groan or shedding a tear. 

6. Religion. — They had not heard of the Bible, but they 
believed in a Great Spirit; they did not worship idols. 
When an Indian died, they supposed he had gone to a 
better hunting ground, and they buried with him his toma- 
hawk, his bow and arrows, and his pipe, all of which they 
believed he would need in the distant country to which he 
had gone. 

7. Names. — Each tribe called itself by its own name 
and each was governed by its chief or sachem. A tribe 
meant one large family or a group of Indian families. The 
principal ones were the Algonquins, the Iroquois, the 
Dakotahs, the Cherokees, and the Mobilians. * ^ 

a The Aztecs. — The Spaniards found a tribe in Mexico who called 
themselves the Aztecs, and who were greatly superior to the other In- 
dians in civilization and wealth. They lived in cities, where they had 
built palaces and temples, surrounded with gardens. Unlike the 
other natives, they had made some advancement in the art of painting, 
and in the knowledge of astronomy. 

^ The Peruvians. — In South America the explorers met with a simi- 
lar race. They were called Pervuians, and were even more cultivated 
than the Aztecs. Their wealth in gold and silver was immense. They 
had built paved roads through their country, and one of their cities was 
supplied with water, which ran through pipes of silver from a lake near 
the city. The Spaniards treated these peaceable people with great cruelty 
and robbed them of their gold. Remains of the work done by the Peru- 
vians may still be found in Peru. 



/ 



ENGLISH AND SPANISH EXPLORERS. 11 

CHAPTER III. 

1497 ENGLISH AND SPANISH EXPLORERS. 

1. The Cabots. — A great many navigators now became 
anxious to try the new route to India. John Cabot, a mer- 
chant in Bristol, England, and his son, Sebastian Cabot, 
were the first to attempt it. They thought India and China 
lay just beyond the islands Columbus had discovered, and 
they supposed the shorter route would be a northwest 
passage. After sailing in a direction north of that in which 
he had gone, they arrived at Cape Briton, fourteen months 
before Columbus reached South America. 

2. Sebastian Cabot anchored near the coast of Labra- 
lAQQ dor the next year ; there he found icy waters and 

cold, barren shores ; he turned his course south- 
ward until he came to Albemarle Sound. There he landed 
and took possession in the name of England. The gov- 
ernment of England then claimed the continent as its 
own, because the Cabots were the first to reach the main- 
land of North America. * 

3. Wonders in the New World.— The nations of 
Europe now endeavored -to make these discoveries profita- 
ble by fitting out new fleets to sail in search of the gold 
which they imagined to be so abundant beyond the seas. 
Every man who came to the New World had something new 
and strange to tell on his return, or something curious to 
show at home. One of the stories related was of a king who 

a Naming America.— Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, fol- 
lowed the Cabots. His conversations with Columbus had awakened in 
him a desire to try his fortunes in the west, and, after embarking upon an 
expedition to the " Indies," reached South America in 1499. He pub- 
lished a description of the country and a map of it, which so greatly de- 
lighted his readers that the country was called America in honor of him, 
instead of Columbus. 



12 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.. 1512 

lived in a city where the streets were paved with precious 
stones, and the roofs of the houses were made of gold. 
Another was told of a wonderful fountain whose waters 
would restore youth and health to those who bathed in 
them. All this made the daring navigators of those times 
very eager to know more of this distant country. The 
Spaniards, who had made settlements on the West India 
Islands, went farther westward ; some of them reached the 
continent and established a colony on the Isthmus of Da- 
rien. 

4. Ponce de Leon. — (pon'-tha-dala-on'), a brave old 
^K-,9 Spanish soldier, who had gone out with Colum- 
bus on his second voyage, had been made gover- 
nor of Porto Rico. But he had lost his office as governor ; 
his hair was turning gray. Hoping to prolong his life 
and increase his fortune, he sailed in search of the fabled 
fountain of youth. The land was covered with the 
green leaves and bright flowers of early spring when he 
reached the shore. From ^'pascuafloriday^^ the Spanish for 
Easter Sunday, the day on which he arrived, he named the 
beautiful country Florida. Vainly he searched among the 
streams and groves for the spring of youth; his fruitless 
labors only brought him disappointment, and he returned 
home. 

1521. Nine years afterward, he visited Florida again. 
This time he was wounded by an Indian arrow and went 
back to Spain to die. 

5. Discovery of the Pacific. — A company of Spaniards, 

led by Vasco Nunez de Balboa, crossed the Isthmus 
' of Darien, in 1513. After a long and weary 
march under the scorching sun of that tropical sum- 
mer, they came to a range of mountains, beyond which, 
they had been told, lay a country rich in gold. Balboa 
climbed up the rugged slope, and from the top of the moun- 
tain he looked doivn upon the Pacific Ocean. He had made 



1513 ENGLISH AND SPANISH EXPLORERS. 13 

a discovery almost as great as that made by Columbus. He 
was now convinced that he had not been exploring a part 
of Asia, but that he was upon a new continent. His com- 
panions joined him, and together they went down to the 
shore. There Balboa, with his flag and his sword in his 
hands, waded into the waves and claimed all the countries 
touched by the waters of the new ocean for Spain. He called 
it the great South Sea.^ 

6. Efforts to Conquer Florida.— A large amount of 
money was expended upon expeditions for the conquest of 
Florida. It was then thought to be an island, rich in gold 
— its rivers glittering with diamonds — but it was known to 
be inhabited by savage tribes who would resist every at- 
tempt to take possession of the country. For years these 
efibrts failed. Many of the Spanish soldiers who were sent 
to Florida were killed by the natives, many were lost in a 
storm which wrecked one of the fleets, and but few of them 
returned. 

7. Hernando de Soto,*' who had been appointed gover- 
. -OQ nor of Cuba and Florida by the king of Spain, hop- 
ing to meet with better success, made prepar- 

b Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor, started from Spain in 
1519, and, after sailing around South America through the strait that has 
received his name, crossed the Pacific Ocean, which he called Pacific, be- 
cause of its freedom from storms during his voyage. He did not live to 
return ; but one of his ships continued the voyage westward, and reached 
the port he had left in Spain. During an absence of three years, these 
sailors had added a proof of the roundness of the earth by sailing 
around it. 

« Hernando de Soto, the son of a Spanish noblemen, had joined sev- 
eral expeditions to the New World ; in 1532, he accompanied the famous 
Piazaro to Peru, as one of the leading oflScers in his army. With the vast 
amount of gold which he obtained in that conquered country, he returned 
to Spain. There he married and lived in the most luxurious style ; he and 
his bride were received among the honored guests at the court of Charles 
V. But he could not long remain quietly at home, while there was so 
much abroad to tempt his love of adventure. The king allowed him to 
undertake the conquest of Florida, which he did at his own expense. 



14 History of the united states. 1539 

ations for invading Florida again. Many of his soldiers 
were sons of the wealthiest nobles of Spain, and the ships 
were laden with everything that money could provide for 
their comfort. Besides a bountiful supply of provisions 
and arms, tools were purchased for the carpenters and 
smiths; also, a herd of swine to be driven along the route, 
and a number of bloodhounds trained for hunting captives 
who might escape. 

With six hundred men and three hundred horses, De 
Soto landed at Tampa Bay, Florida. The angry natives 
lurked in the groves through which the army marched^ 
wondering at the strange sight. Trumpets were sounding 
and banners streaming ; the prancing horses and shining 
spears were a new terror to the frightened savages, as their 
arrows glanced harmlessly from the bright surface of the 
steel armor of the cavaliers. Indian captives guided them 
from one tribe to another, with repeated promises of gold, 
through Florida, Georgia, and Alabama to the northwest. 

After three years of slow and toilsome marching, they 
arrived at the banks of the Mississippi. Another month was 
spent in wandering still farther westward, and then, worn 
out by repeated failures, they retraced their footsteps to the 
Mississippi. While they were encamped upon its bank, 
De Soto died. His companions buried him beneath the 
waters of the great river he had discovered. 

Those of his followers who survived built boats in which 
they sailed down to the mouth of the Mississippi, and fol- 
lowing the coast reached the Spanish settlements in Mexico. 



1524 THE FRENCH. 16 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE FRENCH. 

1. Verrazanni. — France, too, wanted a share in the 
1 594 Sloi^y ai^d the wealth that Spain and England were 

seeking in the west, and the king of France, 
Charles IX., employed Verrazanni (ver-ra-zah'-ne) an 
Italian mariner, to command an expedition to the new 
continent. He sailed to the shores of North Carolina and 
landed near the site of Wilmington. Before his return, he 
explored the coast as far north as Nova Scotia. He gave to 
the country the name of New France ; it was afterwards 
called Canada. 

2. Cartier. — Ten years later another Frenchman, 
-tAOAAi James Cartier (kar'-te-a), reached the Gulf of 

St. Lawrence, on St. Lawrence day. He ex- 
tended his discoveries as far as the site of Quebec and 
built a fort there, but a winter in that severe climate 
made him wish for his sunny-home in France, and in the 
spring he returned, leaving behind him no settlement in 
America north of Mexico. 

3. Huguenots. — Twenty years passed before another 
^rn<y compauy of Frenchmen crossed the Atlantic; 

these were Protestants, called Huguenots. They 
landed near Port Royal, South Carolina, and built a 
fort which they called Carolina, in honor of their king, 
Charles or Carolus IX. They were so much pleased with 
the country that they wanted to build homes around the 
fort. Twenty-sixof them offered to remain, while the fleet 
returned for supplies. The soil, though rich and pro- 
ductive, would not yield a harvest without labor. The 
ships did not come back. There was no refuge from starva- 
tion, when their supply of provisions was exhausted. Their 



16 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1525 

next thought was of home. They built a small vessel, loaded 
it with the goods they had, and turned toward France. They 
would have been lost on the way but for an English vessel 
which rescued them from shipwreck. Thus this attempt at 
settlement failed ; but the name of the fort has descended 
to the State upon whose soil they landed. 

1565. Two years after their return, another colony of the 
same people settled in Florida, and built a fort on the St. 
John's river. They were joined by several hundred who 
followed them from France, because of the persecution which 
they had suffered there. The Spaniards would not allow 
these French settlers to remain in the territory claimed by 
their government, and Melendez (ma-l6n-deth) was sent with 
troops to drive them out. France and Spain being then on 
terms of peace, Melendez apologized for this act by fasten- 
ing to a neighboring tree this inscription, '' Not as French, 
but as heretics." 

4. St. Augustine.— The year 1565 is also famous for 
^ rnn the founding of St. Augustine, the oldest city in 

the United States. The old town looks like a for- 
eign city yet, and remains of the old Spanish fortifica- 
tions may still be seen there. * 

5. Acadia. — The French king granted to De Monts 
(du-mong), who was also one of the Huguenots, control of 
all the country between the Delaware river and Cape Bre- 
ton. It received the name of Acadia. 

1608 Champlain^ afterwards built forts on the St. Law- 

» Santa Fe.— The Spaniards, who traveled further into the central part 
of the country, reached the banks of the Rio Grande. There 
■ they found the natives living in houses built of stone or sun- 
dried brick, some of which were four stories high. They differed 
from the other Indians in many respects ; their clothing was made of 
leather, and even of cotton. Because of the rich discoveries of silver 
made there, other Spaniards followed them, and a town was built, which 
they called Santa Fe. It is only thirty years younger than St. Augustine. 
*> Samuel Champlain, who was a native of France, was among the 



1578 *HD ENGlLlSlt. 11 

rence river, and the Frenchmen who came with him built 
their homes around them. He also traveled southward and 
discovered Lake Champlain. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE ENGLISH. 

1. North America. — It was a long time before the name 
of North America appeared upon the maps of the world. 
The new country was called Florida by the Spaniards, and 
New France, or Canada, by the French. England still as- 
serted her claims because the Cabots had been the first to 
reach the continent ; yet, though many of her seaman had 
been out upon expeditions to explore its coasts, eighty years 
passed before Englishmen decided to make settlements in 
the New World. 

2. Sir Humphrey Gilbert * was the first to attempt to 

first to establish French settlements in America, and was afterwards ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-general of Canada by the French government. Twice 
he assisted the Indians, who had been friendly with him, in making war 
upon their enemies, the Iroquois, of New York, He did not go very far 
into their country, and only succeeded in arousing the bitter hatred of 
that powerful tribe. Consequently, the French explorers and French 
trading parties were obliged to confine themselves to the region north of 
the Great Lakes, and along the Mississippi and its tributaries. Cham- 
plain selected the site and laid the foundations of the city of Quebec ; 
and when he finished the strong walls of Fort St. Louis, on the high bank 
of the St. Lawrence, bis companions felt sure that they could hold their 
claim in the New World. He spent his last days in the land he labored to 
win for France, and died in Canada in 1635. 

* When Sir Humphrey Gilbert obtained a charter to explore the new 
country claimed by England, Queen Elizabeth did much to aid and en- 
courage him. She said she "wished as great good-hap and safety to his 
ships as if herself were there in person." She also sent him a golden 
trinket in the form of an anchor guided by a lady, with the request that 
it should be worn by the brave commander of the fleet. 
2 



18 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1678 

^ f,^.^ take possession of this vast territory. He had 
read accounts of the immense shoals of codfish 
that had been seen near Greenland, and he thought 
more would be gained by establishing colonies to fish and 
trade in the New World than by continuing the search 
for gold, which had so often brought only failure and ruin. 
After obtaining permission from Queen Elizabeth, he and 
his half brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, sailed from England 
to carry out these' new plans. They landed on the coast of 
Newfoundland and took possession in the name of the 
Queen of England. From this island they sailed south- 
ward. Two of the largest vessels of the fleet were wrecked, 
and Sir Gilbert embarked in a small frigate which proved 
unfit for the sea. During a violent storm, his vessel disap- 
peared ; but one ship returned to England with the news 
of his sad fate,** 
3. Sir Walter Kaleigh, " after his return, began mak- 
^f,^. ing arrangements to send out another party of 
Englishmen to America. He obtained permis- 
sion to settle them, in any portion of the country ly- 

^ The last words he was heard to speak were words of cheer to his com- 
panions : "Be of good heart, my friends ; we are as near to heaven by sea 
as by land." 

Sir Walter Balelgrh was famous in England as soldier and mariner, 
courtier and statesman, during the reign of Elizabeth. Seventeen years 
of that time he was a member of Parliament. He was a favorite of the 
queen ; she rewarded him richly for his services by granting him several 
valuable estates, which contained, in all, about twelve thousand acres. 
He was one of the commanders of the English fleet which conquered the 
"Invincible Armada" of Spain ; after his return, she made him one of 
the honored knights of her kingdom. Because of his great eflfbrts at dis- 
covery and colonization, the poet, Spenser, called him the "Shepherd of 
the Ocean." He made two voyages to Guiana, in South America, and ex- 
pended two hundred thousand dollars of his own money for the support 
of colonies in America. 

After the accession of James I. to the throne of England, Raleigh was 
accused of treason against the king ; he was tried and convicted. During 



1586 THE SETTLEMENT OP VIRGINIA. 19 

ing between the parallels of 33° and 45® north latitude. 
This embraced all the land between that claimed by the 
French on the north, and that by the Spaniards on the south. 
He sent out two vessels. Their commanders gave pleasing 
accounts of the country when they returned. It was named 
Virginia, in honor of Queen Elizabeth, who was never 
married, and for that reason was called the *' Virgin 
Queen.'' 
4. Raleigh sent out a colony, expecting the men to cultivate 
the soil, trade with the natives, and build homes in 
the territory called Virginia. It consisted of one 
hundred families. After their departure, Raleigh prepared 
supplies, which he sent forward without waiting to hear 
that they were in need. But before these supplies reached 
them, the Indians had become unfriendly, and their stock of 
provisions had become very small ; and when an English 
fleet approached the shore, they persuaded the commander 
to take them back to England.^ 

1587. The next year another company went out with 
Captain John White as governor. These settled on Roan- 
oke Island. To avoid the trouble from which the former 

the thirteen years of his imprisonment in the Tower, he wrote the "His- 
tory of the World." He was at last condemned to death. On the scaffold, 
he asked the executioner to show him the ax. After touching its edge 
and kissing the steel, he said : "This gives me no fear. It is a sharp and 
fair medicine to cure me of all my diseases." He begged earnestly for 
the prayers of all who heard him, then knelt with his head upon the 
block ; his lips were moving in prayer while he waited for the fatal blow. 

to Tobacco and Potatoes.— Although Columbus and his men were 
the first who saw tobacco or potatoes used by the Indians, the colonists 
sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh are said to have been the first to bring 
these articles into use in England. 

A story has been told of Sir Walter that, once while he sat smoking in 
his room, a servant entered and saw th^smoke. Supposing that his mas- 
ter was being consumed by fire, he emptied a mug of beer upon him to 
quench the flames, and then ran for help. 



20 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1607 

colony had suffered, Governor White sailed for Eng- 
land to obtain supplies, but Spain and England being then 
at war, he was unable to return. Even the ships sent out 
by Raleigh did not reach them. Governor White was ab- 
sent three years ; when he returned, he could find no trace 
of the colony he had left. 

5. The London and Plymouth Companies. — Nearly 
.nr^rj thirty years passed, after Raleigh's first expedi- 
tion, before any permanent settlements were made 
in Virginia. The efforts for colonizing the country had ac- 
complished but little during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 
yet the way had been opened for her successors to push 
forward the work with better results. English sailors con- 
tinued to visit the shores of America; cargoes of furs, for 
which the hatters of Europe paid high prices, and sassa- 
fras root, which was then thought to be a good medi- 
cine, were brought back and sold at a fine profit. A num- 
ber of merchants and wealthy men in England thought 
they could increase their fortunes by making settlements 
and trading in Virginia, and two companies were formed 
for that purpose. King James divided the country that 
had been given to Gilbert and Raleigh into two portions. 
The northern division was bounded by Newfoundland and 
the Hudson river. This was to belong to the Plymouth 
Company, and was called North Virginia. The southern 
portion lay between the Potomac and Cape Fear rivers, 
and was given to the London Company. It was known as 
South Virginia. 



CHAPTER VI. 

1609. THir DUTCH. 

1. The People of Holland, who were called the Dutch, 
had built a great many ships ; and these ships were sent to 



1609 THE DUTCH. 21 

trade in diflferent parts of the world. Henry Hudson, an 
English sailor, who had gone to Holland, was employed by 
the people there to take command of one of their trading 
vessels. 

2. The Half Moon, a ship of eighty tons, was fitted 
ifiOQ out for him. With a crew of Dutch and English, 

he sailed toward the northeast, in 1609. He was on 
his way to China, but finding the route closed by ice, he 
concluded to turn to the west and seek an opening through 
North America. A storm drove his vessel among the French 
fishermen on the banks of Newfoundland. A few days later, 
he stopped in a harbor of Maine to mend his torn sails and 
to cut a new mast from the woods. Then starting anew on 
his voyage, he sailed southward. While Champlain with 
his Frenchmen were rowing their boats on Lake Champlain, 
Henry Hudson approached Sandy Hook. 

3. Manhattan Island.— A crowd of Indians stood 
on the southern point of Manhattan Island, where 
New York city now stands, and watched with won- 
der the coming of the ship. Hudson took a cask of 
rum with him when he landed. After drinking, he handed 
his cup to the chiefs. They only smelled it, and passed it 
from one to another. The last one took it, tasted and 
drank its contents. The others watched him until he 
reeled and fell, but finding that he recovered, they con- 
cluded to try the experiment for themselves. They called 
the rum "fire-water," and named the island Manhattan, 
meaning " the place of drunkenness." 

4. The Hudson River. — He passed up the river to a 
point a little north of Albany, and then returned to Eng- 
land. The English government detained his ship, and 
claimed that his services belonged to his own country. He 
sent to Holland an account of his voyage and discoveries, 
but did not go back himself. * 

» Hudson's Last Voyagre.— On another voyage, Henry Hudson dia- 



22 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Give a sketch of the life of Columbus— his voyages and discoveries. 

2. Give the reasons for the English claims to North America. 

3. Tell the events connected with the discovery of Florida. 

4. Tell the circumstances under which the Pacific was first seen by 
Balboa. 

6. Describe the travels and discoveries of DeSoto. 

6. Describe the appearance and habits of the American Indians. 



DATE OF DISCOVERY. 



ENGLISH KINGS. 






FRENCH KINGS. 


Henry VII. 


1492 


Columbus discovered Amev' 








ica. 


Charles VIII. 


Henry " 


1497 


The Cabots discovered North 








America, 


Charles *' 


Henry VIII 


1512 


Ponce de Leon discovered 








Florida. 


Louis XII. 


Henry " 


1513 


Balboa discovered the Pa- 








cific Ocean. 


Louis " 


Henry " 


1534 


Cartier discovered the St. 








Lawrence. 


Francis I. 


Henry " 


1541 


DeSoto discovered the Mis- 








swippi. 


Francis " 



BOOKS FOR REFERENCE. 

Bancroft's ** History of United States; " Irving's " Life of Colum- 
bus;" Catlings "North American Indians ; " Edwards' " Life of 
Raleigh;" Irving's "Conquest of Florida;" Abbott's "Ferdinand 
DeSoto;" Longfellow's "Hiawatha;" Parkman's " Pioneers in North 
America ; " Longfellow's " Evangaline ; " Cooper's " Leather Stock- 
ing Tales." 

covered the great bay of North America, where he spent some time try- 
ing to find, in the northwest, the passage to India he had sought so long. 
The severities of a winter amidst the ice of those northern waters made 
his men discontented and rebellious. They seized him and his son, with 
eight others, and, after placing them in an open boat, left them to perish. 
Cold and hunger ended the life of the brave Hudson, upon the bay that 
perpetuates his name. 



SECTION II.-SETTLEMENTS. 
CHAPTER I. 

THE SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA. 1607. 

1. The Charter.— The London and Plymouth Com- 
panies asked the king to allow them to take control of the 
country and trade with the natives ; and, to keep any other 
persons from disputing this right with them, he gave them 
the permission in a written paper to which he signed his 
name. This paper was called a charter or grant. 

2. Jamesto'wn. — The London Company sent out a col- 

ony in 1607, which settled at Jamestown, on the 
James river. The colony numbered one hun- 
dred and five men. Captain Newport commanded the 
vessel in which they came. As they entered Chesapeake 
Bay, they named the capes on the right and left, Cape 
Charles and Cape Henry, for the sons of the king. They 
landed May 13, when the whole forest was beautiful 
with the fresh green of the spring-time. The king had 
written laws for their government in the charter. Seven 
of their number were appointed councilmen, and Mr. Wing- 
field was chosen president; but he was not a good man and 
did not manage affairs well for the people. 

3. Trouble. — Captain Newport returned to England 
before they became accustomed to the new way of living, 
but he left with them a brave and noble man. Captain John 
Smith. " There was much sickness among them during the 

a Captain John Smith was born in Lincolnshire, England. When 
quite young, he left England and went to Holland, and afterward to 
Austria, where he enlisted in the army to fight the Turks, with whom 



24 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1607 

summer, and many died. Most of them were idle, and took 
no care to provide themselves with food for the next year; 
when all their supplies were exhausted, they were left in a 
state of want and suffering. 

4. Captain Smith's Management— By quarreling 
among themselves, they made matters worse. Through 
jealousy, they had excluded Captain Smith from the coun- 
cil, but they were at length compelled to turn to him for 
help. Under his skillful management, they were relieved 
of many troubles. He worked hard himself and compelled 
the idlers to follow his example. Their work added many 
comforts, which the cold winter made necessary, for their 
rude homes. At first they stretched an old sail to the limbs 
of trees, to shelter them from the sun and rain, and built 
walls of rails; but afterwards they learned to cut down trees 
and build houses. He also made treaties of friendship with 
the Indians, and procured food for the needy colony. 

5. Captured by Indians. — After Captain Smith had 
trained the men to some degree of order, he prepared 
for an exploring expedition up the Chickahominy river. 
When he had gone about thirty miles, he and his party 
were attacked by Indians. They killed his companions 
and captured him. He amused them by showing them his 
pocket compass and by writing to his friends. The Indians 
were so much impressed by this new way of sending mes- 
sages, and by many things he said and did, that they kept 
him imprisoned a long time, thinking they had no right to 

Austria was then at war. He became very famous by killing three of the 
Turks in single combat, but was finally captured and sold as a slave. His 
Turkish master treated him with great cruelty, and he determined to 
make his escape. One day, while he was employed threshing grain, he 
killed his master with the flail and ran away. He went to Russia, then to 
Austria and Spain and on to Morocco. At last he came back to England 
and joined the new expedition with Captaii; Newport, when 1^^ was nearly 
thirty years old. 



1607 



THE SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA. 



25 



kill such a wonderful man. The chiefs met and consulted 
about what they should do with him. Powhatan (pow-ha- 
tan), their king, determined to put him to death. 

6. Pocahontas. — Captain Smith's hands were tied and 
his head laid upon a log of wood. A club was raised to 
strike the fatal blow. Powhatan's young daughter, Po-ca- 
h6n-tas, threw herself beside the prisoner, and clasping her 
arms around him, with tears besought her father to spare 
him. The chiefs were all greatly moved by this, and her 
father consented to release him. Captain Smith made a 
treaty of peace with Powhatan, and, after an absence of 
seven weeks, returned to Jamestown. 




ARRIVAL AT JAMESTOWN. 



7. The Colony Saved by Pocahontas. — Soon after this 
Powhatan broke his promise of peace to the English, and 
made a plot to destroy the whole colony. The night before 
the Indians expected to make the attack, Pocahontas went 
through the rain and the darkness to tell Captain Smith to 
prepare for the approach of the savages. She walked back 



26 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1608 

the same night to her father's village. By this act of kind- 
ness, the colony was saved and peace restored. ^ 

8. Gold. — Captain Newport came back with provisions 

and one hundred and twenty new colonists. Some 
• of these were goldsmiths, and they had come to 
find the gold which they expected to see in quantities 
along the hillsides. Captain Newport loaded his ship 
with sparkling soil, which they had gathered on the bank 
of a river, and took it to England ; but when he returned 
and told them that the treasure was of no value, they gave 
up searching for the precious metal. 

9. Captain Smith Wounded.— The colony had been 

in Virginia two years, when Captain Smith was so 
severely wounded by an explosion of gunpowder 
that he was obliged to return to England. He never 
came back to Jamestown. A few years afterward he 
sailed to a point north of that place, and explored the shores 
between the Penobscot and Cape Cod. He called the country 
New England ; that section still retains the name he gave it. 

10. The "Starving Time." — A short time before Cap- 

tain Smith left Jamestown, a fleet, bringing two 

hundred new additions to the colony, arrived. 

This increased the number of^ settlers to five hundred ; but 

after Captain Smith's departure, great sufiering followed from 

the scarcity of provisions. Many died. Their number was 

b Capture and Marriage of Pocahontas.— Pocahontas, who had been 
such a true friend to the colony, was stolen by a party of men 
• under Captain Argall. These men sent a message to her father, 
telling him that the young girl should be released whenever he paid them 
the price they demanded. Powhatan refused to pay it, and prepared for 
a war with the white men in order to rescue his daughter. A young Eng- 
lishman named Rolf, who had influenced her to become a Christian, fell 
in love with her, and persuaded her co marry him. Her father consented, 
and terms of peace were made. Three years after her marriage, while on 
a visit to England with her husband, she died, leaving an infant son. 
Some of the best families of our country claim to be her descendants. 



1610 THE SETTLEMENT OP VIRGINIA. 27 

reduced from five hundred to sixty ; and those who survived, 
determined to leave Jamestown. About this time, a vessel, 
which had spent the winter in the West Indies, arrived 
with provisions and new emigrants. Yet they were still 
determined to leave the place in which they had suffered so 
long. They had sailed down to the mouth of the river, when 
they met a fleet of English ships bringing Lord De la Ware, 
or Delaware, their new governor, with men and supplies. 
He induced them to return to Jamestown. They always 
called the winter of 1609-10 the "starving time." 

11. Lord Delaware's Government. — The king had 
given a second charter, which dismissed the council at 
Jamestown and gave them a governor. Their condition 
was at once improved by the wise management of Lord 
Delaware. This deliverance from famine and death led 
many of them to acknowledge the goodness of God. They 
met in their little church every day to beseech His blessing. 
Health and plenty and peace returned to them, but Lord 
Delaware's health soon failed, and he embarked for Eng- 
land. Sir Thomas Dale was his successor. 

12. Tobacco. — Columbus had found the natives smoking 
tobacco in Cuba. It is said to have received its name from 
the island, Tobago, where it was first cultivated. In Vir- 
ginia it became the chief article of commerce. For a long 
time it was the currency of the country. The salaries of 
clergymen, private debts, and even taxes were paid in to- 
bacco. Ninety young women were sent by the London 
Company to Virginia, and each young settler, who married 
one of them, paid one hundred pounds of tobacco for her. 
Fines were also paid in this product, and whenever it could 
be proved that a woman was guilty of slander, her husband 
had to pay five hundred pounds of tobacco. They valued it 

Cows, Goats and Hogs.— In 1611, Sir Thomas Gates became governor 
at Jamestown, and brought with him the first cows, goats and hogs that 
were brought to this country. 



28 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1620 

SO highly that they even planted it in their gardens, and 
often in the streets of Jamestown. 

13. Slavery. — The soil of Virginia was rich, and the 

cultivation of tobacco was so profitable that the 
' majority of the settlers did not live in towns and 
villages, but on plantations throughout the country. 
Men who had committed crime in England were sold 
to the planters to work the plantations for ten years. Some 
of the Indians had been captured, and made to work as 
slaves in the same way, but they were not profitable laborers. 
In 1620, a Dutch vessel brought twenty African negroes to 
Jamestown. They were sold to the settlers ; and this was 
the beginning of negro slavery in this country. 

14. Indian Massacre. — During the same year, twelve 
1 coo hundred persons, belonging to an excellent class 

* of people, moved to Virginia from England. Two 
years of unbroken peace and prosperity followed ; but 
at the end of that time, a sudden attack made by the 
Indians brought death and sorrow to the colony. The 
new Indian king hated the white men, and wanted to de- 
stroy their settlements. He called his warriors around his 
camp-fire and made them promise to hide themselves in the 
forest around the plantations, and at noon, on a day 
which he had chosen, to rush upon the Englishmen in their 
homes and murder them without mercy. The plot was 
kept secret ; the colonists knew nothing of it, until on the 
morning of the appointed day, a converted Indian told 
the people at Jamestown. Men were sent to warn all the 
settlers, but before the news could reach every plantation, 
twelve o'clock came, and three hundred planters, with their 
families, were killed. A bloody war followed, in which 
the Indians were defeated and driven back into the forest. 
16. A Royal Province.— The London Company be- 



1624 THE SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA CONTlNtJED. 29 

came divided by political opinions, and the king 
* compelled them to give up their claims in Amer- 
ica. He then took the government of the colony into his 
own hands, and himself appointed its governors. This 
made Virginia a royal province. 



CHAPTER 11. 

THE SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA CONTINUED. 

1. Indian War. — After the great Indian massacre, the 
savages, though professing to be at peace with the 

* white men, were really seeking an opportunity 
for revenge. Twenty-two years afterward, in 1644, they 
made another sudden attack upon the plantations, and 
killed a large number of the settlers. The war which fol- 
lowed this attack lasted two years. Many red men were 
killed or captured, and the Virginia Indians gave but 
little trouble to the colony afterward. 

2. The *'01d Dominion." — After the execution of 
Charles I., king of England, many royalists re- 

• moved to Virginia, where the people had remained 
devoted to the cause of the king. Sir William Berke- 
le}' was appointed governor, and Charles II., who was 
then banished from England, was invited to come and reign 
as king in Virginia. From this circumstance, Virginia 
was called the ^^Old Dominion."'' 

» A quarrel between King Charles I. of England and the Parliament 
brought on a civil war in that country in 1642. A pare of the people took 
sides with the king, and were called Royalists or Cavaliers. The king's 
friends called those who were on the side of the Parliament, Roundheads, 
because there were so many apprentices among them, whose hair was cut 
short. Oliver Cromwell was one of the leaders of the army against the 
king. After four years of trouble, during which several battles had 
been fought, the town into which the king had gone was surrounded 



so HISTORY OF THE tJNITEt> STATES. l6?3 

3. Taxes. — The people of Virginia were very glad to 
hear that Charles II. had been placed upon the throne, and 
they hoped that he would reward their devotion by securing 
all their rights to them ; but the English government passed 
laws which the Virginians thought were very unjust. These 
laws compelled them to pay a duty of five per cent, on every- 
thing exported from the colony, and on everything brought 
into it. 

4. Culpepper and Arlington.— Virginia had been a 
^n^cy royal province about fifty years, when the king 

gave the whole of the country to two of his favor- 
ites — Lord Culpepper and the Earl of Arlington. This act 
of the king aroused deep feelings of indignation among the 
people. 

5. Bacon's Rebellion. — Nathaniel Bacon, an ambitious 
1676 y^^^S lawyer in Virginia, strengthened this feel- 
ing of discontent by making the people believe 

that their rulers were to blame for much of the trouble, and 
that the country was ready for rebellion. The Susquehanna 
Indians had been plundering the plantations along the bor- 
der, from the Potomac to the James. Bacon said that Gov- 
ernor Berkeley had not the courage to resist these raiders. 
Some of the men armed themselves, and made Bacon their 
leader. He asked the governor for a commission, and prom- 
ised to march against the Indians immediately. Governor 
Berkeley suspected that he had some other object, and refused 
him the commission. Bacon marched to Jamestown with six 
hundred men, and demanded from the council, then in ses- 
sion, what the governor had withheld. Governor Berkeley 

by the Parliamentary army, and he was made a prisoner. He was 
tried by a court made up of members of Parliament ; this court condemned 
him to be beheaded. Oliver Cromwell was then proclaimed Lord Protector, 
and the king's son fled from the country. In 1660, thirteen years after 
the death of Charles I., his son, Charles II., was restored to the throne ot 
England. 



1692 THE SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA CONTINUED. 3l 

still firmly refused, but the frightened councilmen wrote 
the commission, and insisted that the governor should sign 
it. Bacon marched against the Indians. As soon as he 
had gone, the council annulled his commission, and pro- 
nounced him a rebel. Bacon brought his men back to James- 
town, and Governor Berkeley fled to collect forces who were 
friendly to him. 

Civil war began to rage throughout the province. Prop- 
erty was destroyed, plantations plundered, and Jamestown 
burnt to ashes. It was never rebuilt, and nothing but a 
ruined church now stands to show where the first settle- 
ment was made. Williamsburg became the capital. 

6. Bacon's Death.— The king pronounced Bacon a 
traitor, and sent over troops to assist Governor Berkeley. 
Bacon died suddenly before they reached the shores of Vir- 
ginia, and his followers surrendered. This ended the rebel- 
lion without further trouble. 

7. William and Mary College. — Virginia continued 
1 692 *^ ^® oppressed by English laws and English gover- 
nors during the reign of Charles II. and James II., 

until William and Mary were placed on the throne. Then, 
as the afiairs of government became more settled, the peo- 
ple began to give more attention to education. There were 
already men of learning and character and enterprise among 
the Virginians. William and Mary College was established 
in 1692. Many free schools were also begun. As their 
wealth increased, they built elegant houses of imported 
brick. Some of these houses are still standing ; their carved 
mahogany stairways and the pieces of massive mahogany 
furniture which have been preserved show in what style 
those gentlemen of the "Old Dominion" lived. 



32 HtSTOftY Ot Tfli! UKtTED Sf ATfiS. 

CHAPTER III. 

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 
MASSACHUSETTS. 1620. 

1. Early Colonies.— About the same time that Captain 
1 fin? Newport brought over the colony to Jamestown, 

• the Plymouth Company sent a ship with settlers 
for North Virginia. They landed on the coast of Maine, 
near the mouth of the Kennebec river. The intense 
cold of the winter that followed their landing made them 
unwilling to live in America, and the next spring they re- 
turned to England. After Captain Smith published his map 
of New England, others were induced to come to this wild 
country, but none of them remained very long and no per- 
manent settlement was made. 

2. The Pilgrim Fathers.— In England, at that time, 

any person who would not worship in the Church 

• of England was severely punished, and people 
were persecuted for attending any other religious ser- 
vice. From this cause a number of families had gone to 
Holland, where they could enjoy more freedom. These 
people observed strictly the rules of their religion, and were 
called " Puritans." They could readily be distinguished by 
their plain and peculiar dress. They had been in Holland 
twelve years when war began between the Dutch and 
the Spaniards, and some of these Englishmen resolved to 
embark for America. They sent two of their number to 
ask the consent of the Company in London. During their 
stay among the Hollanders, they had received the name of 
"Pilgrims," from their unsettled condition. They num- 
bered about one thousand, and from that number, one hun- 
dred of the youngest and strongest were chosen to go. A 



1620 THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 33 

patent, or written right, sealed with the company's seal, 
was given them for a tract of land in North Virginia. A 
company of merchants in London lent them money, which 
they were to repay with their labor. The profits of seven 
years of work were required to repay ten pounds of the 
money borrowed. 

3. The Mayflower.— The two vessels in which the 

Pilgrims were to sail were called the Mayflower 
■^^^^* and the Speedwell. The Pilgrims worshipped to- 
gether the last time. Their aged pastor knelt with them 
on the shore and prayed for the blessing of Heaven upon 
them, after which they parted from their friends and went 
on board the ship. The sails were spread and the shores 
of Holland soon faded from their sight. The Speedwell 
was compelled to return to England twice for repairs. The 
Mayflower started at last, alone, September 6, 1620. They 
expected to land at the mouth of the Hudson river, but, 
after sailing sixty-three days, they reached Cape Cod, where 
they cast anchor.'' 

4. Form of Government. — This colony had no charter 
from the king, like that of the Jamestown colony, and, before 
landing, a form of laws was written out and signed by the 
men — forty-one in all. Every man was allov/ed an equal 
share in the government, and John Carver was chosen gov- 
ernor for one year. They had established a democracy. 

5. Plymouth.— A place, which they called Plyu.outh, 
was selected for their settlement. They entered a pathless, 
unbroken forest, covered with the snow and ice of that se- 

a Relics.— Some of the articles brought over in the Mayflower by these 
Pilgrims are still preserved. An iron dinner kettle, and a small oaken 
table with folding leaves, which had never been touched by varnish, some 
of the same spinning-wheels on which the women and girls who came 
with them spun flax, and the cradle in which Peregrine White — the 
baby born on the Mayflower— was rocked, are among the things that are 
still in the possession of their descendants. 
3 



34 HISTORY 01* THE UNITED STATES. 1621 

vere climate, and went to work at once, cutting down trees 
and building houses ; but before they could protect them- 
selves against the storms of snow and sleet, which soon 
came, their sufferings were intense, and, before spring, more 
than half their number died from exposure and disease. 
Governor Carver and his wife and son were among those 
who were buried on the shore. 

6. Indians. — A short time before his death. Governor 
Carver made a treaty with several Indian chiefs, which pro- 
tected the colony. This treaty was sacredly kept for fifty 
years. 

7. Indian Corn. — As the spring came on, health and 
strength returned to the settlers. The Indians taught them 
to cultivate maize, or Indian corn, and to shoot fish with 
arrows ; they also added to their store of provisions by kill- 
ing deer and wild turkey in the woods. They had no cattle 
then, and the wolves that howled around their houses at 
night would have killed cows, hogs, or sheep, if they had 
been brought to that wild country. 

8. Suffering for Bread. — In the fall, a vessel with 

thirty-five Puritans arrived without a supply of 
provisions, and the following winter was one of 
intense suffering. A part of the time they had no grain 
of any kind. One of them wrote : " I have seen men stag- 
ger, by reason of faintness, for want of food." They 
planted corn-fields to cover the graves, so that the Indians 
might not know how small their number had grown. Much 
that they suffered was owing to the plan they had adopted 
of working together and keeping the proceeds of their 
work in one common collection, from which each man 
could draw his weekly allowance. There were some who 
would not work so long as they could live by the labor of 
others, and their harvests were too scanty to supply all. 
After trying this system three years, a portion of ground 



1629 THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 35 

was given to each family for its own use, and there was no 
general suffering from famine afterward.^ 

9. The Company of Massachusetts Bay.— After 

this part of the country began to be settled, it was 
no longer known as North Virginia, but was called 
New England, the name Captain Smith had given it. Eight 
years after the Mayflower reached Plymouth, a company of 
of men in England purchased that part of this section 
"which lies between three miles to the south of the Merri- 
mac river and three miles to the south of the Charles river, 
and extending from the Atlantic to the South sea." They 
received from Charles I. a charter, in which it was agreed 
that the government of the colonies settling in that region 
should be managed by the company, and that the company 
should be called "The Governor and Company of Massachu- 
setts Bay in New England." 

10. Boston. — Among the stockholders of this company 

were some prominent Puritans and other good men. 

They thought the country would be more valuable 
if it were filled with people to cultivate and improve it, 
and in order to encourage families to move out from 
England, they promised that the councilmen should be 
chosen by the settlers themselves. John Winthrop was 
the first governor. About fifteen hundred emigrants came 
to Massachusetts ; and settlements were made at Boston 
and at other points within a few miles of that place. 

11. Government. — The next year a meeting of all the 

men of the settlements was held in Boston, and 

John Winthrop was again elected governor. As 

long as they continued to meet together and vote for their 

officers and decide upon all the affairs of the colony them- 

^ Salem. — John Endicot came over with a colony of one hundred Puri- 
tans, who settled at Salem in 1628. They gave their settlement this 
name because the word in Hebrew means "peace." 



36 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1631 



selves, their government was purely democratic. After- 
ward, this plan was changed, and the citizens voted for rep- 
resentatives in a legislature, who made laws for their gov- 
ernment. Only church-members were considered citizens 
and allowed to vote. 

12. Laws. — They were 
very strict in the observ- 
ance of their religious 
laws, and every person 
was required fto attend 
church every Sunday. 
Any who were absent 
were punished, unless the 
excuse given was consid- 
ered a good one. Every 
settlement had its meet- 
ing-house, and every Sun- 
day morning at the drum- 
beat they were all ready 
to march to church. The 
men carried their guns. 
The sermon often lasted two hours. The seats for the 
women were always on the opposite side of the church 
from those occupied by the men. For a violation of law 
the offender was sometimes made to stand, during service 
where he could be seen by the congregation, the name of 
the offence having been written upon a paper and fastened 
to his person. Commonly, such criminals were put in 
the stocks or the pillory. 

13. The Houses in New England generally con- 
tained two or more low rooms, with an attic above. They 
were built of logs ; the roof was covered with thatch, and 
the chimneys were made of pieces of wood, covered with 
plastered clay. The large kitchen was the sitting-room for 




THE PILLORY AND STOCKS. 



I 



1631 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 



37 



the family. Within its wide fire-place hung the crane, sup- 
porting pots and kettles over the wood fire. From the raft- 
ers were suspended showy festoons of pepper and strings of 
dried pumpkin and dried fruit. Chairs were few, and the 
high-backed settle was in use a long time. The spinning- 
wheels were kept busily at work ; heavy wooden looms were 
used for making the cloth for the household. 




THE NEW ENGLAND KITCHEN. 



Articles of comfort were added slowly — one by one. The 
first clocks were made mostly of wood, and, reaching from 
the floor to the ceiling, occupied one corner of the room. 
The cupboard was a useful piece of furniture that, after a 
time, had its place in most of these houses. It, too, was 
made -to stand in a corner ; its shelves held the store of plain 
china and pewter ware used by the family. The windows 
and doors were small and low ; oiled paper was substituted 
for glass. A narrow looking-glass and a few pictures or- 



38 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1692 

namented the walls. The father's gun and powder pouch, 
above the door, were always ready for defense against an 
attack by Indians. 

The narrow space between the house and the low fence in 
front contained the flower garden, filled with old-fashioned 
holy hocks and four-o'clocks. Borders of touch-me-not were 
on both sides of the walk from the gate, and the jack bean, 
gay with its scarlet blooms, twined itself over the low porch 
and window. 

14. Schools. — The Puritans were anxious about the 
education of their children, and common schools began to 
be popular among them at an early day. 

15. Massachusetts. — The colonies of Plymouth and 
w/>qrt Massachusetts Bay were united in 1692, and called 

Massachusetts. The name is said to mean " Blue 
Hills.'' 



CHAPTER IV. 

SETTLEMENT OF RHODE ISLAND. — 1636. 

1. Roger Williams came to Salem, Massachusetts, in 
^^o-j 1631. He had been a minister in the Episco- 
pal church, when quite a young man, but he af- 
terwards separated from that church and united with the 
Baptist denomination. He preached in Plymouth and Sa- 
lem, and to the Indians, with great earnestness and elo- 
quence ; and explained the Bible according to his belief. 
He said that civil rulers ought to punish for crimes, but 
that they had no right to control men in matters of reli- 
gion. He complained against the law which compelled 
men to attend church. ' The Puritans called him a heretic, 
and after having tried him they condemned him to exile 
from the settlements. 



1635 SETTLEMENT OF RHODE ISLAND. , 39 

2. His New Home.— He left Salem about the middle 
-j/»oc of January, in the night. He wandered fourteen 

weeks through a forest of snow and ice, alone and 
on foot. When he reached the territory of the Narragansett 
Indians, he made friendly terms with them, and they gave 
him shelter and protection. He received permission from 
the chief to live on land belonging to that tribe, and he 
built his home in the unbroken wilderness. The next 
spring he planted the ground and was joined by a few 
friends, 

3. Providence — He had located within the bounda- 
^noo ries of Massachusetts, and the government sent 

a messenger to say that he could not be allowed to 
remain where he was. After that, he and his friends re- 
moved to Rhode Island. The chief of the Narragansetts 
gave him land, and he began to build and plant once more 
at the head of Narragansett Bay. He named his settlement 
Providence, to express his confidence in the goodness of 
God. Many who were persecuted in Massachusetts and in 
England joined him, and the settlement grew rapidly. He 
received all who came without questioning their religious 
belief, but he was firm in maintaining the laws of order and 
justice. Every one was required to sign a written agree- 
ment to obey all laws which were made for the public good, 
and which had received the consent of the greater portion 
of the citizens. 

4. Newport.— A short time after Roger Williams left 
Salem, a woman preacher in Boston, Mrs. Anne Hutchin- 
son, made such a disturbance among the Puritans by her 
religious teachings, that she was condemned as a heretic by 
a number of ministers, and she and her followers were ban- 
ished from the colony. William Coddington led a band of 
those who believed in her doctrines to Providence. Through 
the influence of Boger Williams, the^ bought from the In- 



40 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1643 

dians the Island of Aquidneck ; they called it Rhode Island. 
This party of exiles made a settlement at Newport, and es- 
tablished a democratic government like that of Providence. 
5. The Charter. — Roger Williams went to England and 
^ nAo obtained from Parliament, for the two colonies, a 
charter, in which they were united in one, and un- 
der which they were governed until Charles II. was restored 
to the throne. 



CHAPTER V. 

CONNECTICUT. — 1635. 

1. The Dutch were the first to take possession of the 
-,/>qo valley of the Connecticut ; the}^ built a fort on the 

bank of the river. That stream was named by the 
Indians, Connecticut, which means long river. 

2. Saybrook. — When the people in England heard of 
-laoK the beautiful, fertile country west of the settle- 
ments in Massachusetts, the Plymouth Company 

granted it to the Earl of Warwick, who transferred it to 
Lord Say and Lord Brooks. Their agent built a fort at the 
mouth of the Connecticut, and called it Saybrook, in honor 
of them. The Dutch attempted to prevent the English- 
men from sailing up the river, but they did not succeed. 
The English vessels sailed past the Dutch fort, and built 
houses for their traders at Windsor. 

3. Colonies from Massachusetts. — A number of fam- 
^nnc ilies who had grown tired of the religious quarrels 

in Massachusetts, and who wished to settle in this 
fertile region, left Boston the following summer, with the 
Rev. Thos. Hooker as their leader. With only a compass to 
guide them, they traveled through the wilderness, driving 
their cattle before them, and reached the river in fourteen 



1637 NEW HAMPSHIRE. 41 

days. The Indians sold them land, and some of them set- 
tled at Hartford, and built new homes. Others went up 
the river to Windsor, and some, down to Wethersfield. The 
colony, which was made up of these settlements, took its 
name from the river, and was known as the Connecticut 
Colony, 

4. New Haven.— Not more than twelve months after 
^go7 this time, a rich merchant from London, with his 

friends, came to Boston. Religious disputes were 
kept up so constantly among the people of that place, that 
this party also resolved to seek a more peaceful home in 
the unsettled country toward the west. After sailing from 
Boston and examining the shore, they landed and made a 
settlement at New Haven. 

5. Three Colonies. — Connecticut then contained three 
1 fi44 separate colonies ; namely, Saybrook Colony, Con- 
necticut Colony (embracing Windsor, Hartford and 

Wethersfield), and New Haven Colony. In 1644, nine 
years after the founding of the Saybrook Colony, it was 
united with the Connecticut Colony, but the New Haven 
Colony continued to be a separate government until King 
Charles combined them into one. After that they were 
known as Connecticut. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. — 1623. 

6. Gorges and Mason. — Sir Fernando Gorges, (gor'-jez) 
^^^^ and Captain John Mason received from the Ply- 
mouth Company a grant of land extending from the 

Kennebec to the Merrimac river. Three years after the Pil- 
grims laniled at Plymouth, in 1623, two settlements were 
made on the Piscataqua river. The banks were covered 
with wild strawberries when the English ships ar- 
rived. Captain Mason, who had come with the settlers, 
built his house near the river, and called his home *' Straw- 



42 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1629 

berry Bank." The village which grew up around it took 
the same name. It is now the city of Portsmouth. The 
other settlement was made further inland, and was called 
Dover. 

7. Mason's Grant. — Captain Mason obtained another 
1 fioq grant which reached from the Piscataqua to the 

Merrimac, and included the settlements he had 
made. He named the region New Hampshire, from Hamp- 
shire, England, the place from whence many of the set- 
tlers had come. 

8. Union 'with Massachusetts. — Seven years after re- 
^ noo ceiving this new grant,Captain Mason died, and no 

one succeeded him. The colony was left with no set- 
tled government, and the country was divided among many 
who claimed a right to it. Much disputing and much trouble 
followed. The people of Massachusetts claimed that the 
Plymouth Company had given a part of New Hampshire 
to them. In addition to these troubles about government, 
the people suffered greatly from the hostility and cruelty of 
the Indians, and they finally decided to seek protection from 
Massachusetts. New Hampshire continued to be a part of 
Massachusetts during thirty-nine years. After that time it 
was again made separate by the king. 

VERMONT. 

9. Governor Wentworth, one of the governors of New 
Hampshire, claimed that all of the land which is now called 
Vermont, belonged to New Hampshire, and he gave away 
townships, or tracts of land west of the Connecticut river, 
which were settled by people from Scotland and Ireland. 

This region had already been explored by Champlain. 
Settlements were made so slowly that it did not become a 
separate colony before the revolution. It was known as 



1639 THE CONFEDERATION OF NEW ENGLAND. 43 

the '* New Hampshire Grants,'^ because of the land Gover- 
nor Wentworth had given away. 

MAINE. 

10. After Captain Mason obtained possession of New 
Hampshire, Gorges also received another grant, 
which gave him the land from the Piscataqua to 
the Kennebec. This part of the country had been called 
the Mayne (main) land, to distinguish it from the islands 
along the coast. From this circumstance the name of Maine 
has been applied to this region. 

At first, there were only a few fishing stations. Settlers 
moved in so slowly that, like Vermont, it did not become a 
separate colony for many years. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE CONFEDERATION OF NEW ENGLAND. 

1. The Pequod War. — Cassacus, a chief of the Pequod 
Indians, saw that the Englishmen were taking 
' possession of the land that had belonged to his 
fathers, and he wanted to destroy all the white settlements 
in New England ; he tried to persuade other tribes to join 
him in his plot. Through the influence of Roger Williams, 
the Narragansetts and Mohawks refused to assist' him. 

Two English captains of trading vessels on the Connecti- 
cut were killed by Pequod Indians ; and two years after- 
ward an English vessel was captured by a party of the 
same tribe, and its commander cruelly killed. The colon- 
ists of Massachusetts and of Connecticut became so indig- 
nant at this that they resolved to declare war against the 
Pequods. Roger Williams persuaded the Narragansetts and 



44 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1637 

Mohicans to join their forces with those cf the colonists. 
He was showing the beautiful spirit of forgiveness, in thus 
interfering to protect the people of Massachusetts, who had 
exiled him from his home among them. 

2. Battle with the Pequods. — During the winter of 

1637, four companies were raised in Massachusetts 
to march against the Pequods. Captain Mason, 
with the companies from Connecticut, joined them, and a 
friendly Indian led them to the principal fort of the Pe- 
quods, on the Mystic river. Lines of wigwams, protected 
by the fort, were filled with Indian families. Captain Ma- 
son directed the attack on the fort. The fighting was des- 
perate. About seven hundred Indians were killed. Many 
perished in the flames when their wigwams were burned, 
and about two hundred women and children were captured. 
The fort was left in ruins and the strength of the Pequods 
was completely broken. The white men lost but few of 
their number; some accounts of the battle tell us that 
there were only two men missing on their return. 

Cassacus escaped, but was afterward killed by some of the 
Indians. The soldiers from Connecticut and Massachusetts, 
and the Indians who had joined them, claimed the captives 
for slaves. Large numbers of these prisoners were sent to 
the West Indies and sold into slavery. 

3. The Slave Trade. — A year previous to this war, 

the first American slave vessel was built. It was 
' launched at Marblehead, Massachusetts, and named 
the "Desire." It brought back to Massachusetts the first 
ship load of African slaves, and the negroes were bought 
by many of the most influential men of the colony. The 
people of Virginia had owned slaves eighteen years when 
the people of this section began to engage in the same 
traflic. 

4. Harvard "University.— It was as long ago as 1638, 



1638 THE CONFEDERATION OF NEW ENGLAND. 45 

iftQ« ^^^* ^e^' John Harvard founded a college in Mas- 
• sachusetts. He left about four thousand dollars 
and his library for its use, and it was called Harvard Uni- 
versity. It is the oldest college in this country. 

5. The Printing Press was introduced about this time 
1 fi'^S ^■^ ■^^^* '^^^^^ Grlover. Stephen Day managed this 

■ press, and its first issue was a pamphlet called 
" The Freedman's Oath." 

6. Confederation.— After the war with the Pequods, 

the colonists of New England concluded that it 
would be best to form a union of all the colonies, 
in order to protect themselves against the savages, and 
against the Dutch and French who also threatened trouble. 
Each colony was to retain the control of its own affairs, and 
two commissioners were to be chosen from each colony, 
making eight in all, who were to manage all the business 
that belonged to the confederation. None but church mem- 
bers could be elected commissioners, and the colonies were 
not to be bound by any act of the general council of com- 
missioners, unless it had been agreed to by all represented. 
Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Haven 
formed this union in 1643, and gave it the name of " The 
United Colonies of New England." Rhode Island was not 
received because of its freedom in matters of religion. 

7. The Quakers, or Friends, were a religious sect in 
England, who believed that the government had no right 
to interfere with religion; that no crime but that of mur- 
der should be punished with death ; and that no person 
should be imprisoned for debt. They could not believe that 
it was right for nations to wage war against each other, and 
they refused to be enrolled as soldiers. They would never 
take an oath in the civil courts, because they thought that 
speaking the truth was sufficient. But the foolish behavior 
of some of their members, who stripped themselves of their 



46 History oe* tAe unitijd states. 1656 

clothing and went about the streets and into the churches, 
preaching to the people, made the sect very unpopular. 
Like the Puritans, they avoided all that was costly or orna- 
mental in dress. They considered all men equal, and re- 
fused to honor any man with a title, simply addressing each 
by his Christian name or as " thee and thou." They wore 
their hats even in the presence of a king, to show their 
belief that all were equal. 

8. Persecution of Quakers. —Laws were passed ex- 

cluding the Quakers from Massachusetts. When 

* one of the sect came into the colony, he was 
punished with the loss of an ear and banishment. If he 
were found within the colony again, he was driven out, 
with the loss of the other ear ; and if he still persisted 
in returning, his tongue was bored through with a hot 
iron. These severe laws did not keep the Quakers away 
from Boston. They were whipped and tortured, and even 
put to death. Four of them were hung; after that, there was 
so much excitement among the people that the laws were 
changed. The new laws required that these peculiar per- 
sons should be whipped from the colony. 

9. Trouble with England. — While the Virginians 

were showing their devotion to the king, the Puri- 

* tans were opposing him, and when Charles IL was 
restored to the throne, three of the judges who had con- 
demned his father — Whalley, Goffe and Dix well— fled to 
New England for safety. The English government sent an 
order for their arrest, but they were allowed to escape to 
Connecticut. 

The people of Massachusetts began to fear that the new 
king might punish their opposition to him, and thej^ sent 
agents to England, with the request that he would confirm 
their charter. He agreed, but insisted that they should tol- 
erate the church of England, and allow those who were not 



1675 feING PHILIPS WAR. 47 

church members to vote. Royal commissioners soon arrived 
in the United Colonies and Rhode Island. They disputed 
with Massachusetts about her claim to New Hampshire, but 
returned to England without settling the question. Other 
troubles at home occupied the attention of the king, and 
New England was neglected.* 



CHAPTER VII. 
KING Philip's war 1675. 

1. King Philip. — After the unwelcome royal visitors 
^g„g had returned to the king, a bloody Indian war 

spread its terrors amidst the homes of New Eng- 
land. This was in 1675, and was called King Philip's war, 
because he led the tribes against the English. Philip was 
the son of a chief who had been a friend of the first 
settlers, and who had taught them to cultivate corn. At his 
death, Philip was made the chief of his tribe ; he became 
very jealous as he saw the white men taking possession of 
the country which had been the hunting grounds of his 
fathers. His brothers and several members of his tribe had 
been tried for murder, and sentenced to death by a jury of 
Puritans and Indians. All this had aroused his bitter ha- 
tred against the white men. 

2. The War. — Philip visited every tribe from Maine to 
^n^^ Connecticut, and persuaded them to join him in a 

league to drive out the English. His army con- 

* John Eliot. — While many fled to America because of religious per- 
secution, others were specially interested in the conversion of the In- 
dians ; they either came to the settlements, or gave money to help those 
who were willing to come. One of the most prominent among them was 
John Eliot. He taught a school for Indians. The first Bible printed in 
America was that which he translated into the Indian language. He 
preached to them about God, and taught them the truths of the Chris- 
tian religion. 



48 fllSTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1676 

sisted of three thousand warriors. The first attack was 
made at Swanzey, in Plymouth. The English were supe- 
rior to the savages in numbers and in arms; although 
the red men knew something of the use of firearms, they 
had comparativaly few guns and but little ammunition. 
Troops from Boston compelled them to leave Swanzey. 
Their line of retreat was marked by burning houses, and 
often by scalps and heads of the dead attached to poles along 
the way. Every settlement upon the western border was 
kept in a state of constant terror. Brookfield, Deerfield, and 
Springfield were burned. * 

3. The Swamp Fight. — A force of one thousand men 
ifi7fi ^^^ raised by the colonists to march into the coun- 
try of the Narragansetta and break King Philip's 

league of destruction. Captain Winslow commanded these 
troops. They marched through the deep December snows 
to a Narragansett town, in a swamp enclosed by palisades, 
where they found Philip and his army, with their wives 
and children, and their corn and beans, which they had 
gathered for the winter. As Captain Winslovv's men ap- 
proached, the Indians fired upon them and killed numbers 
of the white men. After a fight of two hours, the English- 
men reached the fort and burned the town When this bat- 
tle was ended, a thousand Indian warriors were among the 
dead, and many women and children had breathed their 
last in the midst of their burning homes. 

4. Philip's Death. — Philip, with some of his followers, 
^ nrjn escaped. He continued to attack unprotected villages 

whenever he found an opportunity. The English sol- 

"■ The people of Hadly were at church and their services were interrupted 
by the war-whoop of the Indians. In the midst of the confusion which 
followed, a white-haired old man, a stranger to them all, came among 
them. He called the men to order, and, as their leader, enabled them to 
drive back the savages. It was afterward thought that he was William 
Go fie, one of the regicide judges who had condemned Charles I. He had 
also been a general in Cromwell's army, and had fled from England. 



1687 KING Philip's war. 4^ 

diers followed him, killing his men whenever they came in 
reach of them. Still the brave chief would not surrender, and 
the war went on. He is said to have slain one of the chiefs 
who proposed peace. In June a strong force captured his 
wife and child — a boy of nine years. This loss crushed 
Philip's spirit, and he and his few surviving followers were 
overtaken in their refuge in a swamp. An Englishman 
aimed his gun at Philip but it did not fire, and one of the 
Indians shot his king through the heart. Philip's death 
ended the war. Many lives had been lost, and much 
property destroyed. A heavy debt was incurred by the 
colonists, but the strength of three powerful tribes was 
broken. Philip's young son was sent to Bermuda and sold 
as a slave. 

5. Sir Edmund Andros.— Great excitement spread 
-.nnr^ through Ncw England when the news came that 

the king of England had determined to take away 
the charters of the colonies. Sir Edmund Andros was sent 
over with a council, which the king had appointed to take 
control of the colonies of New England. He bore the title 
of Captain-general, and had power to make laws and levy 
taxes as he chose. His treatment of the people in Massa- 
chusetts was very tyrannical. He would not allow pub- 
lic meetings, and forbade any person to leave the country 
without permission from him. 

6. The Charter Oak. — He took possession of the Rhode 
wgoy Island charter, and when he reached Hartford, he 

ordered the Legislature to deliver to him the char- 
ter of Connecticut. Obedience to this order was delayed 
until later in the day. The charter was placed upon the 
table after the candles were lighted. 'When Andros at- 
tempted to take it, the lights were suddenly put out ; when 
they were relighted, the charter had disappeared. One of 
the members had hurriedly left the room and carried it with 
4 



50 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1692 

him. For sometime it was kept safely hidden in a large 
hollow oak tree, which, for many years afterward, was 
known as the " Charter Oak." 

7. New Charters. — Although Andros failed to obtain 
^nnq this charter, he exercised complete control over all 

these colonies. The people sent to England to ask 
relief from his tyranny, but they received no encourage- 
ment from the king. During the reign of William and 
Mary, new charters were granted to the colonies, and their 
liberties were once more restored, though they could no 
longer elect their governors — the king appointed them. In 
Connecticut the old charter was brought back from its hid- 
ing place. The new charter for Massachusetts united Ply- 
mouth and that colony under one government. 

8. Witchcraft. — Many people in England and Scotland, 

in those days, believed that the greater number of 
their diseases and troubles were caused by persons 
called witches, whom they supposed to have power given 
them by Satan to harm people and animals. These same 
beliefs had crossed the Atlantic with the emigrants to the 
New World. The excitement reached such a height that 
the lives of many persons were in constant danger from 
their accusers. The children of a minister in Salem, Mas- 
sachusetts, were afflicted with convulsions, and their father 
believed they were bewitched. He traced the cause of the 
trouble, as he thought, to an Indian servant in the family. 
By severe punishment, he made her confess that she had 
bewitched the children. 

9. Cotton Mather, a minister of influence, did much 
to increase and spread the excitement. Whenever persons 
were afflicted with nervous diseases, the cause was sought 
by accusing some other persons of the crime of withcraft • 
trial and imprisonment followed. As many as twenty were 
hung in a few months, while the prisons were filled with 



1626 THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW YORK. §1 

people supposed to be in league with evil spirits. These 
colonists were in serious danger of destroying one another. 
The courts began to see the folly of punishing this supposed 
crime with death, and, after they refused to notice the 
accusers, the trouble ceased. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW YORK. — ^1614. 

1. Dutch Traders. — The Dutch claimed that part of 
^n-,0 North America which Henry Hudson had discov- 
ered ; and the merchants of Holland sent out trad- 
ing vessels to the new country after his return. They 
established trading posts on the Hudson river and on Man- 
hattan Island, and came back to Holland. Their ships were 
loaded with valuable furs which had been bought from the 
Indians. 

2. New Amsterdam. — Seven years after Captain Smith 

began his work at Jamestown, cabins were built on 
Manhattan Island, and also a fort of logs for their 

protection. The name of New Amsterdam was given to 

the place. 

3. New Netherlands. — After this, a number of Hol- 

land merchants united in forming the Dutch West 
India Company, and obtained a charter from their 
government allowing them to trade in the territory lying 
between South Virginia and New France. In this charter 
it was called New Netherlands, and extended from the Con- 
necticut river to the Delaware. Settlements were soon 
made and treaties of friendship formed with the Indians. 

4. Peter Minuit (min'-u-it) was sent to New Nether- 

lands as its first governor. He bought Manhattan 
1626. jgig^j^(j fj.Qjjj the Indians for twenty-four dollars. 



52 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1642 

The people of Manhattan proposed a covenant of friendship 
with the Plymouth colony. The Plymouth governor ac- 
cepted the proposal, but reminded them that the fortieth 
degree of latitude was the boundary of New England and 
that the Dutch had no rights beyond it. 

5. New Settlements. — The settlers from Holland car- 
ried on a profitable trade in furs, but New Amsterdam grew 
slowly. Farther up the river Fort Orange was built. On 
Long Island, Staten Island, and out into New Jersey, wher- 
ever the rich soil or an abundance of beavers attracted, their 
settlements were extended. They were careful to pay the 
Indians for all the land they obtained from them. 

6. Trouble with Indians. — The rum which the white 

men sold the Indians made them quarrelsome. 

They did some things which the traders resented 
with cruelty, and the savages began to attack the white 
settlements. About this time a company of River Indians, 
who had been fighting with the Mohawks, fled to the banks 
of the Hudson, near Manhattan Island, and asked for help 
from the Dutch. Instead of helping them, the governor 
sent a band of men to surprise and murder them. Nearly 
one hundred of the unsuspecting red men perished before 
daylight. Neither the old, nor the sick, nor the mothers 
with their children were spared. 

7. Indian War. — This led to a bloody war, and the 

homes of the white settlers, from the Hudson to 
* the Connecticut, were laid in ashes, and the in- 
mates killed by the furious savages. Among the number 
was Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, who had been driven from 
Massachusetts. 

8. Dutch Customs. — Some of the old customs which 
those people brought with them from Holland are still re- 
tained by us. From them, the children have learned to 
expect visits from " Santa Glaus " or " St. Nicholas," on 



1642 THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW YOKE. 53 

Christmas-eve, and to color eggs at Easter time ; while the 
grown people continue the custom of New-Year's calling. 

9. Dutch Homes.— The people in New Netherlands 
were quite different from the Puritans in New England. 
Some of them were rich men, and they brought with them 
costly furniture to use in their new homes. Their houses 
were built of wood and made with " many doors and win- 
dows," and with their gables toward the street. A stoop, 
or porch, formed the entrance ; there the men often sat and 
smoked their pipes. Painted tiles were built in the wall 
around the fire-places. Fires of pine-knots or tallow can- 
dles gave them light at night. The Dutch house-keepers 
were cleanly and orderly. The floors were covered with 
white sand, in which fanciful figures were drawn with the 
broom. Instead of clocks and watches, they used hour- 
glasses and sun-dials. In some houses, a mark was made to 
show when it was twelve o'clock by the sun, and time for 
dinner. Wind-mills, that had been so numerous in Hol- 
land, were also built by the Dutch settlers. 

10. Habits. — The women and girls learned to spin flax 
on the spinning-wheels, which formed a part of the furni- 
ture in every house, just as the sewing-machine does in 
our own. They spun all the linen used in the house- 
hold ; it was folded away in large chests, made for the pur- 
pose. No young woman was considered ready to be married 
until the linen chest was filled with all that she would need 
in her husband's home. 

1 1 . Dress. — Besides spinning the linen, the women knit- 
ted all the stockings for the family and did all the sewing. 
Their own stockings were colored red, green, or blue, and 
were worn with high-heeled shoes and bright colored skirts. 
They brushed their hair smoothly back under white mus- 
lin caps. 

The dress of the men was a woolen coat, trimmed with 



54 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1664 

large bright buttons, and worn with knee pants and long 
stockings. At the knee and on the shoes were fastened 
large silver buckles. The hair was allowed to grow long 
and was gathered into a cue or long braid at the back of the 
head. 

12. Dutch Government. — When these people in New 
1 aaA Netherlands heard their neighbors tell of the lib- 
erties which the charters had given to New Eng- 
land, they felt that their Dutch governors and patroon* mas- 
ters were making slaves of them ; and they wished for some 
change that would give them more freedom. 

13. The Duke of York.— The English had always 
1 aaA ^l^i'^®^ ^ew Netherlands, because it was discovered 

by the Cabots, and because Henry Hudson was an 
Englishman. When Charles II. was restored to the throne, 
he gave this territory to his brother James, then Duke 
of York, who tent over an armed fleet to take possession. 
The people, already dissatisfied with their own rulers, 
were unwilling to fight when the troops arrived, and though 
the governor desired to resist, he had to surrender to the 
British commander all the region claimed by the Dutch. 
Its name was changed to New York in honor of the duke, 
and Fort Orange was called Albany. New Amsterdam, on 
Manhattan Island, has been known as New York ever since 
the duke's soldiers entered it. 

14. English Rule.— The settlers did not receive from 
the English what they expected. They were not allowed 

aPatroons. — The West India Company, which was composed of mer- 
chants in Holland, was anxious that the new territory should be filled 
with emigrants ; and, to induce people to come to New Netherlands, this 
company offered to every man who would bring a colony of fifty persons, 
a body of land sixteen miles in length, provided the land had not been 
occupied, and on condition that he paid the Indians for it. He was to 
have control of the colony, with the title of " patroon " or ** lord." They 
were not allowed to manufacture wool ov cotton, because a company i^ 
JJoll9,nd did all of tbftt tQV t^^m- 



1684 THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 55 

to choose their rulers, but had to submit to the control of 
governors sent over by the duke. 

15. Dutch and English. — The English had been in 
1 A7Q "^^^ York about nine years, when war began be- 
tween England and Holland, and a Dutch fleet 

took possession of the city of New York. In little more than 
a year from that time, the English government established 
its claims a second time. Major Edmond Andros, who was 
afterward such a tyrant in the New England colonies, was 
sent out as governor by the Duke of York. The settlers in 
New York complained so bitterly against him that a new 
governor was appointed; and the people of that colony were 
allowed for the first time to elect representatives for a Leg- 
islature, and to adopt the same form of government as that 
of the other English colonies. New York continued to be 
an English colony until the War of Independence. 

16. Indian Treaty. — Because of some movements of the 

French, the new governor of New York and the 
* governor of Virginia made a treaty with the Five 
Nations or Iroquois (ir o-kwois) Indians, living iu the 
northern and western part of New York. This treaty gave 
peace to the Englishmen, and protected them from the 
French in Canada for many years. " ° 

''Jacob Leisler. — A civil war in England gave the crown to William 
and Mary, and when the news reached New York, the governor hurried 
back to England. Ten men, calling themselves a "committee of safety," 
commissioned a captain of militia, named Jacob Leisler (Lice-ler), to take 
possession of the fort. About five hundred armed men joined him. He 
promised publicly to submit to the governor whom the king should ap- 
point, whenever he should arrive. The mayor of the city, accompanied 
by other gentlemen, went to Albany to occupy the fort at that place for 
the king. They were not associated with Leisler. When he sent his 
son-in-law, Milbourn, to ask them to surrender to him, they refused. 
The next spring they became alarmed by the approach of Indians, and 
Milbourn was allowed to take command of the fort. 

Leisler kept his place at the head of the government nearly three years 



56 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1664 

CHAPTER IX. 

NEW JERSEY. — 1622. 

1. The Danes. — The land lying between the Hudson 

and the Delaware belonged to New Netherlands, 
and while the Dutch were establishing their trad- 
ing posts throughout the territory, a colony of Danes made 
a settlement on the Delaware river. 

2. New Jersey. — When the Duke of York took posses- 

sion of New York, he gave the southern portion to 
two of his noblemen —Lord Berkeley and Sir George 
Carteret. These new owners were called ^^ proprietors.^^ Sir 
George Carteret had been governor of the Isle of Jersey, 
near England, and the new province was called New Jersey 
in honor of his old home. Lord Berkeley's part was called 
West Jersey, Carteret's East Jersey. 

without opposition from the king. When Governor Sloughter was sent to 
New York, Leisler and Milbourn were imprisoned and tried for treason. 
Their enemies invited Sloughter to a banquet, and, while he was intoxi- 
cated with wine, persuaded him to sign a warrant for the execution of 
Leisler and Milbourn. The next day during a heavy rain they were 
hung. This pleased a portion of the people, but the others did not fail 
to express their displeasure. The number of Leisler' s friends, and those 
who favored his belief in the equal rights of all men, increased after his 
death. Those who opposed him were the aristocrats, who wanted to al- 
low a rich man as many votes as he had estates. These were the descend- 
ants of the old lords or patroons. 

° Captain Kidd. — At this time commerce suffered greatly from pirates. 
The number had increased to a fearful extent, when several members of 
Parliament, encouraged by the king, fitted out a vessel and placed Captain 
Kidd in command, to go on a trip in search of the sea-robbers and to pro- 
tect the commerce of the country. Soon after leaving England, Kidd 
made a bargain with his sailors to change the object of their enterprise, 
and he became one of the most notorious pirates on the ocean. After 
three years of daring robbery, he approached the coast near Boston, and 
was captured. He was sent to England, where, after trial, he was pub- 
licly executed. 



1702 NEW JERSEY. 57 

3. The Charter. — These noblemen being anxious to en- 
courage immigration, obtained promises in their charter 
that all sects of religion should enjoy equal rights, and that 
the government should consist of a governor and council 
appointed by the proprietors. No rent was to be paid in 
five years ; no taxes were to be demanded except those im- 
posed by the Legislature of the colony. This liberal charter 
brought many persecuted families to the shores of this fer- 
tile region, and New Jersey grew rapidly in numbers; pros- 
perity rewarded their industry. 

4. Elizabeth. — The first English settlement was made 

at Elizabeth, about one year after New Netherlands 
' became New York. The town was named in honor 
of Sir George Carteret's wife. 

5. The Jerseys United.— The rights of the two pro- 

prietors were, after a time, given back to the queen 
• of England, who united them into one colony, 
under the name of New Jersey. New York and New Jersey 
had the same governor, though New Jersey had its own 
Legislature, elected by the people. This state of things con- 
tinued through a number of years, and then the people of 
New Jersey sent a petition to the queen for a governor of 
their own. This was granted, and the crown continued to 
appoint its governors until the War of Independence.* 

•Princeton College.— The settlersof the colony of New Jersey showed 
their appreciation for education by establishing Princeton College. It 
was begun at Elizabeth in 1774, but was removed to Princeton ten years 
afterward. 



58 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1683 

CHAPTER X. 

PENNSYLVANIA. — 1 681. 

1. The Name of the Province.— William Penn's 

father had been an admiral in the British navy, 
and, as a reward for his success in the conquest of 
Jamaica, and for other services for the British government 
during the war between England and Holland, he had been 
promised sixteen thousand pounds sterling. After his 
father's death, Penn offered to take a grant of land in Amer- 
ica, instead of the money, in payment of the debt. Charles 
11. was very willing to pay him in that way. His grant in- 
cluded "three degrees of latitude by five degrees of longi- 
tude," lying beyond New Jersey and between New York 
and Maryland. The king called it Pennsylvania, meaning 
" Penn's Woods." " 

2. Philadelphia. — In 1683, four years before the rule of 

Andros in New England, William Penn,'' sailed 

from England with one hundred emigrants. They 

were nine weeks crossing the Atlantic. The vessel sailed up 

the Delaware, and Penn selected a place " fringed with 

a Lots of land containing one thousand acres were sold to the Quakers 
at one penny per acre. 

^ William Penn was educated at the University of Oxford in England, 
and, when he was quite a young man, he embraced the religion of the 
Quakers. His father being much displeased at this, sent him away from 
home to travel on the continent, hoping that he would give up these 
new doctrines after he had seen more of the world. When he returned, 
he became more firm than he had been before, in the belief which his 
father opposed. He then engaged in the study of law. He was several 
times imprisoned on account of his heresy and because of his pleading 
for the persecuted sect of Quakers. Once, after he had been released, his 
father turned him from his door ; he was saved from suffering by his 
mother's kindness. The cruel treatment he received in England made 
him turn his attention to the colonies in New Jersey. 



1684 PENNSYLVANIA. 59 

pines " between the Schuylkill and the Delaware river for 
his city. The Swedes, who had been the first to settle in 
that part of the country, sold them the land. He called the 
city Philadelphia, or "city of brotherly love." In three 
years six hundred houses had been built. 

3. Treaty With the Indians.— Penn met a company 
of Indian chiefs on the banks of the Delaware, and made a 
treaty with them. The old chiefs seated themselves in a 
semi-circle on the ground and the younger ones were 
grouped behind them. Penn had already sent them 
messages of friendship, which had made them ready to trust 
him. He said to them : " We meet on the broad pathway of 
truth and good will. No advantage shall be taken on either 
side, but all shall be openness and love. We are all one 
flesh and one blood." 

The Indians accepted his presents and gave him a belt 
of wampum as a sign of their friendship. They replied to 
him : " We will live with William Penn and his children 
in love so long as the moon and the sun shall endure." The 
red men were true to the promise they made, and this con- 
tract was never broken. While other settlements were suf- 
fering all the horrors of Indian wars, the people in Pennsyl- 
vania lived in peace and safety. Penn paid the Indians for 
their lands and refused to sell them spirits. 

4. Government. — Every man who wished to vote or 
hold office was required to believe in God and to rest from 
labor on the Sabbath day. Penn and his sons were the pro- 
prietors ; they appointed governors for the province. 

5. Troubles. — After remaining in America about two 

years, Penn returned to England. He left the col- 

* ony in a happy and prosperous condition ; it 

numbered seven thousand. During his absence, troubles 

arose. The people refused to pay the rents which were the 

means by which Penn hoped to be paid for the land which 



60 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1638 

he had bought from the Indians, and for the expenses which 
he had borne for the settlers. 

6. Slavery. — William Penn was himself a slaveholder, 
and the company of traders under his charter brought Afri- 
can slaves into the Quaker colony. He did all in his 
power for their improvement and for their happiness. 

7. Penn's Character. — William Penn did more than 
any other man of his day to benefit his fellow-men. In fol- 
lowing the precepts of the " Golden Rule," he unselfishly 
risked his own safety, to plead the cause of persecuted 
Quakers, and then generously provided them homes on his 
estate, which he had inherited from his father and received 
from the king. His faithfulness to duty and his firm ad- 
herence to the right made him great ; and the good that he 
did made his name and his memory dear to thousands. He 
died in England after his return from Pennsylvania (in 
1718). 

8. Growth. — Many of the early settlers of this province 
were industrious farmers, and the rich soil rewarded their 
labors with plenty and comfort. The commerce of the 
colony was also profitable. The city of Philadelphia, at the 
time of its founder's death, had a population numbering ten 
thousand." 



CHAPTER XL 

DELAWARE. — 1638. 

1. New Sweden." — Peter Minuit, who had been the 

first governor in New Netherlands, was employed by 

' the Swedish government, and he brought over to 

c Newspapers were printed in Philadelphia at an early day, though 
thirty years later than in Boston. Benjamin Franklin, who went there 
six years after the death of William Penn, as a printer, became the ed- 
itor of one of them. 

aQustavus Aaolphug . — While other nations of Europe were sending 



1634 MARYLAND. 61 

America a number of Swedes and Finns. They bought land 
on the Delaware Bay, from the Indians, and named it New 
Sweden. Their fort was called Christina in honor of the 
young queen of Sweden. Other colonists came afterward and 
settled near the mouth of the Schuylkill. 

2. The Dutch claimed this part of the country. They 

built a fort five miles from Fort Christina. The 
Swedes destroyed the new fort, and drove the Dutch 
away. After this, the governor of New Netherlands went 
to New Sweden with six hundred armed men and compelled 
the Swedes to surrender and to acknowledge New Sweden 
as a part of New Netherlands. 

3. The English. — When the Duke of York asserted his 

claim to the Dutch possessions, this region was in- 
eluded in his territory. When William Penn ob- 
tained his grant, it was included in that, and was called the 
" lower counties of the Delaware." During Penn's absence 
in England, these counties separated from Pennsylvania. 
He gave them a governor of their own and a separate Leg- 
islature. 



CHAPTER XIL 

MARYLAND. — ^1634. 

1. Lord Baltimore. — Maryland was at one time a part 
of Virginia, and was embraced in the charter given 
to the London Company, but Sir George Calvert, 

colonies to America, Gustavus Adolphus, the king of Sweden, anxious to 
extend the Protestant religion and to " benefit the persecuted," resolved 
to plant a colony of Protestants in the New World. Before he accom- 
plished this design, the German war engaged his attention, and he was 
killed in one of its battles. His little daughter, Christina, who was then 
only six years old, succeeded him as queen of Sweden. One of her fath- 
er's friends, Oxenstiern, determined to fulfill the king's wishes in regard 
to the colony. 



62 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1634 

Lord Baltimore, obtained from Charles I. a grant of land on 
the northern side of the Potomac river, as far as the fortieth 
parallel of latitude. He called this part of the country 
Maryland, in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, the king's 
wife, who, like himself, professed the Roman Catholic re- 
ligion. 

2. The Charter given by the king made Lord Baltimore 

the proprietor or owner of Maryland, and he was 

* to control it through the governors he sent out, 
without any hindrance from the king. As a sign of his sub- 
mission to the English government, he was to send two In- 
dian arrows every year, and to pay one-fifth of all the gold 
and silver found within his boundaries. The laws were to 
be made by a Legislature chosen by the people, and they 
were to pay no taxes to the English. Ail Christians were 
to be perfectly free in matters of religion. 

3. St. Mary's. — It was Lord Baltimore's desire to make 

Maryland a refuge for all persecuted Christians, but 

* he died before he saw his plans carried out. His 
son, Cecil Calvert, became the second Lord Baltimore and 
the proprietor of Maryland. His brother, Leonard Calvert, 
brought over two hundred settlers, who were nearly all 
Catholics. They landed near the mouth of the Potomac 
river, in 1634, the year before Roger Williams was banished 
from Massachusetts. They bought an Indian village for a 
settlement, which they named St. Mary's. Clothes, knives, 
axes, hoes, etc., were given as presents to the Indians, 
and treaties of friendship were made with them. The In- 
dian women taught the settlers' wives to make corn-bread. 
They raised a crop of corn the first year, and were saved 
much of the suffering from want which some of the other 
colonies experienced. 

4. William Clayborne, who lived in Virginia, had been 
employed by a company in England to buy furs from the 



165^ MAR^LANI). 6^ 

1635. 



Indians, and he wanted to exclude every one but 



himself and his company from the profits of that 
trade. Lord Baltimore's charter took away from him the 
right to trade in Maryland, and he tried to revenge himself 
by raising a rebellion. He attacked one of the settlements, 
but he was driven back into Virginia and his men were made 
prisoners. The governor of Virginia sent him to England. 
There he endeavored to establish his claims, but failed. 
The charter had given the control of Maryland to Lord Bal- 
timore. 

5. Prosperity. — The colony soon became prosperous, 
and other settlements were made. The lands were good, and 
the cultivation of tobacco became general and profitable, as 
it had in Virginia. The people lived on their plantations 
along the rivers and throughout the forests, and there were 
but few large towns. 

Negro slaves helped to raise tobacco for the planters, com- 
merce employed ships in the harbors, and Baltimore grew 
into importance. 

6. Disturbance.— The Indians were treated with kind- 
1642 ^®^^> ^^^ ^^®y were peaceable until Clayborne re- 
turned. He aroused their enmity and made trouble. 

This lasted but a short time. The next year Clayborne gath- 
ered together his followers, and made an attack upon the col- 
ony. He succeeded in driving the governor of Maryland 
into Virginia, and did much damage by destroying the public 
record§. Three years of trouble and disorder followed, until 
Calvert returned with troops to subdue the rebellion. 
Pardon was promised to all, and peace was restored. 

7. Civil War. — During the early years of the colony, 

freedom was allowed to all Christians, but at length, 
* the Protestants in the Legislature passed a law for- 
bidding Catholics the rights of citizens. A civil war fol- 
lowed, which continued six years. 



64 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1640 

8. A Royal Province. — King William made Maryland a 

royal province, and established the Church of Eng- 
land; the people were taxed for its support. 
Twenty years later, the fifth Lord Baltimore gave up the 
Catholic religion ; the province was given to him as its pro- 
prietor, and there were no further changes in the govern- 
ment until the War of Independence.* 

9. A Mail Line between Philadelphia and the Potomac 

was established and letters could be sent eight 

• times in the year. 

10. Free Schools were established by law throughout 
the province. 

11. Mason and Dixon's Line. — There were some dis- 

putes about the boundary between Pennsylvania 

• and Maryland, and as William Penn and Lord 
Baltimore could not agree about it, the question was taken 
to England. Two surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah 
Dixon, were employed. Their survey decided the matter 
by fixing the present boundary. For many years it has 
been known as Mason and Dixon's line, being the dividing 
line between what were once the slave States and the free 
States. 



CHAPTER XIIL 

NORTH CAROLINA. 1640. , 

1. Albemarle. — Some of the inhabitants of Virginia, 
who were unwilling to belong to the Church of Eng- 
land, moved away from that province. They 
cleared land and built houses near Albemarle Sound. Gov- 

* The capital was changed to Annapolis while Maryland was a royal 
province. 



1669 MARYLAND. 65 

ernor Berkeley, of Virginia, claimed them as citizens of his 
colony, and appointed a governor for them. This colony 
was called Albemarle, for the Duke of Albemarle, in Eng- 
land. 

2. Carolina. — A grant for all the territory between Vir- 

ginia and Florida was obtained from Charles II., 
by Lord Clarendon and seven other English noble- 
men, who were to be its proprietors. It was a long time 
before there was a division between the northern and south- 
ern provinces ; the whole region was known by the gen- 
eral name of Carolina. 

3. The Grand Model. —The proprietors employed 
John Locke, who was then a famous philosopher in Eng- 
land, to write a plan of government for the new colony. They 
expected to found a great empire, and they wanted it to 
contain an order of nobility, like that of the old countries 
of Europe. His constitution for the government was called 
the " Grand Model." The people, under its rule, were to 
enjoy freedom in religion, but the lands were to belong to 
noblemen, called earls and barons, and the country was to 
be under the control of a few persons. It was found to be 
unsuitable for people who lived in log-houses on plantations, 
often miles apart, and who dressed in homespun and deer- 
skin. The proprietors and earls and barons lived in Eng- 
land, and the " Grand Model " was never fully carried out. 

4. Clarendon. — Two years after the grant was given, 

a colony made its settlement on the Cape Fear 
river, and gave it the name of Clarendon, in honor 
of Lord Clarendon, one of the proprietors. 

5. Dissatisfaction. — The people in Albemarle were dis- 

satisfied, because the proprietors claimed all the 
land and control over the inhabitants, and because 
they could not own their plantations as the people of Vir- 
ginia did They soon began to rebel against their rulers 
5 



66 litSTOEY OF THE UNITED STATES. Ill2 

openly ; but when they were assured that the changes which 
they wished about the land should be made, quiet was restored. 
They were then also allowed a Legislature to be chosen by 
the people, and a governor and council to be appointed by 
the proprietors. 

6. North Carolina.— The two colonies, Albemarle and 
1 670 Clarendon, each of which had been ruled by its 

own governor, were, after a number of years, 
united into one province and called North Carolina. The 
government was in the hands of bad men a long time. 
Riots among the people and quarrels among their leaders 
kept the country in a state of discord many years. 

7. Occupations. — New settlements were made and 
churches were built; yet nearly all the country was still a 
wilderness. Instead of travelling over roads, the people 
found their way from one plantation to another by paths 
through the forest, where the trees had been blazed or 
notched with an ax to show the right direction. Some of 
them raised tobacco, others made tar and turpentine from 
the trees of the pine forests, and many of the men spent 
their time in hunting and trapping beavers and other ani- 
mals for their furs, which they sold to the traders. 

8. Indians. — The Tuscarora and Coree Indians became 
1712 ^®^^ jealous of the advancement of the white set- 
tlements, and they determined to drive the pale 

faces from the country. Twelve hundred of them joined 
in a plot of destruction. On the night . appointed for the 
attack, they went in small parties to the houses throughout 
the colony, where they were treated as friends. Pretending 
to be displeased with the supper that had been set for them, 
they began to murder men, women, and children. The 
militia came together as soon as possible and stopped the 
massacre. 

9. Improvement.— Up to this time, the number of the 



1680 SOUTH CAROLINA. 67 

inhabitants had increased slowly, but as the fertil- 
1 719 

ity of the inland portions of the country began to 

be known, settlers moved in rapidly. At the beginning of 

the war of the Revolution, they numbered one hundred and 

eighty-one thousand. 

10. A Royal Province. — The proprietors sold their 
right to the king and North Carolina became a 
royal province. Its governors were appointed by 

the king until the War of 1776. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. — 1670. 

1. The First Settlement.— It was fifty years after the 

Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, that William Sayle 
■^^^^' brought out a company of emigrants from England 
and made a settlement on the southern bank of the Ashley 
river. This was the first permanent white settlement made 
in what is now known as South Carolina, and was the 
beginning of Old Charleston. 

2. Charleston.— The situation of the first settlement 

was inconvenient for the approach of large vessels, 

^^^^- and they removed to the harbor of Charleston. 

This was done ten years after the colony first landed, and 

the new settlement became the city of Charleston. The 

town grew rapidly in size and in commercial importance. 

3. Government. — Although this settlement was made 
under the same charter with Albemarle and Clarendon, yet, 
as they were so far apart, it was thought best to have a 
separate government.* 

* After New Netherlands had passed into the hands of the English, a 
number of Dutch families left that province and settled in the southern 
part of Carolina. This increased the number of inhabitants, and also 
brought a good class of people into the new colony. 



68 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1671 



4. Negroes. — Soon after this settlement was made, a 
company of Englishmen came from Barbadoes and 
brought with them about two hundred negro 
slaves. These were the first negroes in this part of Caro- 
lina. 



1671. 




5. The Homes of the 

Settlers.— The house of the 
settler in the southern colonies 
was generally built of logs, cut from the forest of pines 
around it. The sides of the logs were hewn so as to make 
a flat side for the wall, and the spaces between them were 
filled with angular pieces of wood called chinks, in order 
to make the wall a tight one. The house consisted, gener- 
ally, of two large rooms, with a wide, open hall running 
between them. Glass windows were not even thought of 
then. A rude piazza often extended across the entire front, 
and the vines of the yellow jessamine or honeysuckle trailed 
over it. One end of this piazza always contained a shelf, 
on which stood a wooden bucket filled with spring water, 
and above was hung a gourd for the use of the family and 



1686 SOUTH CAROLINA. 69 

their guests. A few steps back of this house was the 
kitchen, where the meals were prepared by a negro cook 
and sent to the family ; and not far off, the smoke-house, 
without which no country home was complete. It held 
the year's supply of meat. The cabins for the "darkies" 
were placed in groups at a convenient distance from the 
"big-house," a name they gave the master's dwelling. 

6. Cavaliers and Dissenters.— The people of South 

Carolina became divided by two political parties. 
• One party consisted of men called cavaliers, who 
belonged to the Church of England, and who had received 
large grants of land from the proprietors. The other party 
was made up of dissenters — persons who had left the Eng- 
lish Church, and who wished the people to adopt a demo- 
cratic form of government. The cavaliers thought all the 
laws sent from England ought to be strictly obeyed ; the 
dissenters contended that only those laws that were for the 
good of the country in its condition, at that time, should 
be binding. No governor was able to please both classes, 
and for that reason each one was removed from his office in 
a short time. 

7. Quit Kents. — The proprietors charged the settlers a 
^ nnr* Small amouut on the lands they had taken, which 

they called quit rents. Although it was a small 
sum on each acre, they felt unwilling to pay it, because so 
much of the land was not cultivated, and therefore brought 
them no profit. The officers whom the governor ap- 
pointed to collect the rent did not succeed in getting it, 
and he declared the country to be under martial law, that 
is, under the laws which govern an army. The Legislature 
met, ordered the governor to leave the country, and de- 
clared him unworthy of holding an office in the colony.^ ° 

^The Spaniards attacked Port Royal in 1686, and almost destroyed it. 
The governor of South Carolina wished to take revenge upon the Span- 



70 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1696 

8. French Settlers. — A large company of Protestants, 
^nqn called Huguenots, who had been persecuted in 

France because of their religion, had come to Car- 
olina. The mild climate reminded them of the summers 
at home. They began to raise the mulberry and the silk 
worm, and they were soon at work in their new homes as 
they had been in those they had left behind. They were 
industrious and peaceable, and many of them were edu- 
cated gentlemen, but the English hated them because they 
were French. The Huguenots became anxious about the 
titles to their lands, and the feeling between the two grew 
to be so strong that one of the proprietors came over from 
England to settle their dififerences. He relieved them all 
of the quit rent, and had roads made through the country. 
He did much to soften the hatred toward the French set- 
tlers. They remained in Carolina, and the influence of 
their refinement and culture was felt for a long time by the 
people of that colony, among whom they lived. 

9. Bice. — The captain of a ship from Madagascar gave 
the governor of South Carolina some of the rice seed that 
he had brought with him. He described the plant, and 
said the rice was excellent as an article of food. The gov- 
ernor divided the seed among his friends; they were so 

iards by attacking St. Augustine, but the proprietors would not consent 
to it. 

oSeth Sothel.— In the midst of these troubles, Seth Sothel, who 
had been driven from North Carolina, arrived. He made them be- 
lieve that he was one of the proprietors, and took upon himself 
the control of the government. Here he continued the same tyrannical 
course which he had followed in North Carolina. Traders from Ber- 
muda and other places were seized as pirates ; plantations were taken 
from their owners, and the planters were often obliged to pay large sums 
to be allowed to keep their own lands. His conduct became so unbeara- 
ble that the Legislature determined to banish him and rid the people of 
his injustice. When the proprietors heard of his conduct, they recalled 
him to England for trial. 



1729 SOUTH CAROLINA. 71 

much pleased with it that the}' began to raise it in quanti- 
ties. In time it became one of the chief products of the 
State. Indigo was also raised in quantities. 

10. The Yemasees War.— While England was at 

^^.(^ war with France and Spain, the Spaniards in Flor- 
ida did much to annoy the people of Carolina. The 
traders in South Carolina had paid the Indians in advance 
for their furs, and were urging them to bring in the num- 
ber for which they had been paid. At the same time, the 
Spaniards excited them to jealousy against the white set- 
tlers. The Yemasees, the most warlike tribe of the South- 
ern Indians, sent a messenger with a bloody stick to all the 
tribes from Florida to Cape Fear, inviting them to join in 
a war which should drive the pale faces from their shores. 

The governor called out all the men who could bear arms 
to follow him in a war against the savages. The Yemasees 
fought desperately, but were compelled to retreat. They 
left death and ruin behind them in Carolina. After they 
were driven out, forts were built along the border to protect 
the colony. The Indians had learned that it was impossi- 
ble for them to destroy the white settlements, and they 
never attempted that again, though they annoyed the plan- 
tations nearest them by their raiding parties. 

11. A Royal Province. — The unwise management of 
^^f,Q the proprietors, under which there had been so 

much bad feeling among the people, was brought 
to an end by the king. He bought Carolina, separated the 
settlements into North and South Carolina, and made them 
royal provinces. In return for the protection of the king, 
they were required to give England all the benefit of their 
trade. 

12. Education. — The rice planters in South Carolina 
soon made fortunes by selling their crops of rice, and were 
able to send their sons to the best schools in England. In 



72 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1732 

this way many of the young men became educated gentle- 
men. The people of this colony loved old England, and 
always spoke of it as home. 



CHAPTER XV. 

GEORGIA. — 1732. 

1. The Thirteenth Colony.— Georgia has been called 
the youngest of the thirteen colonies, because it was the 
last one to be settled before the Revolution. At that time> 
by the laws of England, men were imprisoned for debt and 
hung for theft. James Oglethorpe was a member of Parlia- 
ment, and had been an officer in the British army. When 
he visited the English prisons, he saw hundreds of men 
within those dark walls, separated from their families be- 
cause of the debts they owed. He thought of a plan by 
which he might find new homes for them in America, 
where they could begin a better life, free from the disgrace 
of debt and the pain of poverty. 

2. The Charter.— For this purpose, he obtained a char- 
1732 *®^ i^o^ King George II. for the country lying be- 
tween the Savannah and the Altamaha rivers and 

extending to the Pacific ocean. It was named Georgia, in 
honor of the king, and placed under the control of trustees 
for twenty-one years. Parliament contributed ten thou- 
sand pounds toward establishing settlements. The seal of 
the trustees had on one side silk worms at work, and the 
words, ^^Non sihiy sed aliis^^^ meaning not for themselves^ but for 
others. 

3. The First Settlers.— In November, 1732, one hun- 

dred and twenty-five years after the settlement of 

1732 J^^^stown, Virginia, Oglethorpe sailed with one 

hundred and twenty emigrants. The governor of 



1734 GEORGIA. 73 

South Carolina received them with much kindness at 
Charleston. They landed at Beaufort. Oglethorpe sailed 
up the Savannah river to select a place for his settlement. 
On a high blutf, where the city of Savannah has since been 
built, he chose a place for the homes of the new colony, and 
pitched his tent in the shadow of four tall pine trees. A 
short time afterward, the immigrants reached this place. 
The streets of the future city were laid out with great care, 
and so as to leave spaces for public squares at regular dis- 
tances from one another. At first, the houses were all built 
on one plan, and all of rough boards. 

4. The Indians. — Tomochichi (tom-o-chee-chee),achief 

of the Muscogee Indians, wishing to make terms of 
friendship with the new colony, brought to Ogle- 
thorpe a buffalo skin, on the inside of which were painted 
the head and feathers of an eagle. " The feathers of the 
eagle are soft," said he, " and signify love ; the buffalo skin 
is warm, and is the emblem of protection. Therefore, love 
and protect our little families." Other Indian chieftains 
made a visit to their English neighbors and signed a treaty 
to give up the country as far south as the St. John's. Ogle- 
thorpe's kind treatment of the Indians secured their friend- 
ship, and opened the way for the missionaries, who came 
afterward, to teach them of the true God. 

5. The Salzbergers were inhabitants of a valley among 

the Alps. Leopold, Duke of Austria, persecuted those 
'^ ' who were Lutherans or Protestants. He tortured 
them without mercy, and drove them from their country, oft- 
en separating husbands and wives, and often tearing children 
from their parents. The trustees of Georgia, in England, col- 
lected money with which they offered fifty of these suffering 
families a free passage to Georgia, a year's supply of provisions 
and a home free of rent for ten years. In a few months after 
Oglethorpe and his party landed, these new settlers came 
with their Bibles and hymn-books and catechisms. Their 



74 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1735 

leader was allowed to select a place for their settlement. 
The people wanted a country that abounded with hills and 
pure springs of water. On their journey to the interior, 
Oglethorpe accompanied them. After travelling along the 
bank of the Savannah about thirty miles, they were so 
much pleased that they did not care to go farther. As an 
evidence of their gratitude to God, they sang a psalm and 
set up a stone; they named the place Ebenezer, which 
means '' Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." '^ 

6. Negro Slaves. — The trustees would not allow rum 
or African slaves to be brought to Georgia. They thought 
the white men would not care to work if they had slaves J 
they also feared the Spaniards in Florida would incite the 
slaves to insurrection, or entice them away from their mas- 
ters. 

7. Rents. — The colonists in Georgia were required to 
pay an annual rent of twenty shillings for every hundred 
acres of land, and if any part of this sum were unpaid, in 
six months after it became due, the land was to belong to 
the trustees again. ^ 

One of the conditions of owning land was, that one thou- 
sand mulberry trees were to be planted upon every one 
hundred acres, because it was thought that the produce 
of raw silk would be very profitable. 

8. The Wesleys. — Three years after Oglethorpe's ar- 

rival, a new company of immigrants came to Geor- 
gia. They were mostly Salzbergers and Moravians. 

aThis part of the country has since been called Effingham county, in 
honor of Lord Effingham, who believed the colonies were right in assert- 
ing their independence. He resigned his position in the army to avoid 
using his sword against them. 

^'Indians.— The trustees kept the Indians on terms of friendship by 
making them presents of guns, ammunition, and other articles which 
they liked. This was done once a year. The guns, which were usefu 1 to 
them in killing deer, were given in small numbers. 



1737 GEORGIA. 75 

John and Charles Wesley, who came to preach the gospel 
to the Indians, were with them. The deep piety of these 
people and the patience with which they endured their 
trials, so impressed John Wesley that it was the cause of 
his conversion. He afterward said, that though he had 
started out to teach the Christian religion to savages, he 
had not yet been converted to God. 

9. Silk and Indigo.— The Salzbergers became very 
successful in producing raw silk. In one year, the silk that 
they sold amounted to ten thousand pounds. Indigo, which 
had been raised extensively in South Carolina, also became 
one of the staples of Georgia." 

10. Rev. George Whitefield came to preach in Geor- 
w^«^ sia. While on a visit to Ebenezer, he noticed the 

• good that was being accomplished by the orphan 
school which the Salzbergers had begun. He resolved to 
establish one at Savannah, and persuaded gentlemen in 
England to help him by giving money. Two years after 
his arrival, the orphan house was begun. It was built near 
Savannah and called Bethesda. It still remains a monu- 
ment to George Whitefield. 

11. Spanish Claims. — The Spaniards claimed that the 
^ ^r,M ^6w province was a part of Florida, and Oglethorpe 

heard that they intended to invade Georgia and 
drive out the English settlers. He then returned to Eng- 
land and brought back' with him six hundred soldiers to 
defend his colony. During his absence, he was made com- 
mander-in-chief of all the militia of Georgia and South 
Carolina, with the title of general. A war of two years' 
duration followed, after which Georgia was once more freed 
from invaders, and the people returned thanks to God for 
their deliverance. 

c Augusta. — The city of Augusta, on the Savannah river, was begun 
about this time, 1737. Being near to the Cherokee country, it was at 
first inhabited only by traders, but it soon became a place of considera- 
ble importance. 



76 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1775 



12. A Royal Province. — After Oglethorpe returned 
-jwr^K to England, rum began to be sold, and the Geor- 
gians hired slaves from South Carolina. In a short 

time, slaves were brought from Africa to Savannah. In 1775, 

the trustees returned to the king their rights to Georgia, 

and it became a royal province. 

Oglethorpe never revisited the colony for which he had 

spent ten years of labor. He died in England, in 1785, at 

the age of 96. 

DATE OF SETTLEMENT. 

1 Virginia 1607 by English Protestants. 

2 New York 1614 by the Dutch. 

3 Massachusetts 1620 by English Protestants. 

4 New Jersey 1622 by the Danes— afterward by 

English Quakers. 

5 New Hampshire 1623 by English Protestants . 

6 Maryland 1634 by English Catholics. 

7 Connecticut 1635 by English Protestants. 

8 Rhode Island 1636 by English Protestants. 

9 Delaware 1638 by the Swedes— afterward by 

English Quakers. 

10 North Carolina 1665 by English Protestants. 

11 South Carolina 1670 by English Protestants. 

12 Pennsylvania 1681 by English Quakers. 

13 Georgia 1732 by English Protestants. 

REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS— 1607-1650. 
English Kings. 
James I. 

1617. 
1609. 
1610. 

1610. 
1620. 



Chaeles I. 



1623. 

"l628. 
1634. 
1635. 
1636. 
1638. 
1640-50 

1643. 



A settlement made at Jamestown, Virginia. 
Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson river. 
Trading posts were established in New Nether- 
lands. 
A settlement made on Manhattan Island. 
The Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock. 

A settlement made in New Hampshire. 

A settlement made at Salem, Massachusetts. 
A settlement made in Maryland. 
Settlements begun in Connecticut. 
Settlers arrived at Providence, Rhode Island. 
A settlement made in Delaware by the Swedes, 
People from Virginia made a settlement on Albe- 
marle Sound in North Carolina. 
Olayborue raised a rebelliou in Maryland, 



niPORTANT EVENTS, ETC. 



11 



IMPORTANT EVENTS FEOM 1650-1700. 



Chaeles II. 



James II. 



1664. 
1665. 

1665. 
1670. 
1670. 
1675. 
1680. 
1681. 

1686. 

1695. 



New Netherlands became New York. 

The Clarendon settlement made on the Cape Fear 

river in North Carolina. 
New Jersey settled. 
Albemarle and Clarendon united. ^ 
A settlement made in South Carolina. 
King Philip's war begun. 

A settlement made at Charleston, South Carolina. 
Pennsylvania settled. 

Sir Edmund Andros came to New England, and 

the charters were annulled. 
A mail line established between Philadelphia 

and Virginia. 



IMPORTANT EVENTS 1700-1763. 

1732. The first settlement made in Georgia. 

1735. The Wesleys came to Georgia. 

1763. The survey of Mason and Dixon's Line. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1 Give an account of the settlement of Virginia. 

2 Write a sketch of the life and character of Captain John Smith. 

3 Tell what you know of the trouble which the Indians caused the 

early settlers. 

4 Give an account of Bacon's rebellion. 

5 Tell the events connected with the settlement of Massachusetts, 

and give some of the causes of trouble there. 

6 Relate some of the most important facts connected with ne 

founding of settlements in Rhode Island. 

7 Give a short history of the colonies of Connecticut, of New 

Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. 

8 Name the Indian wars in New England and give an account 

them. 

9 Who were the Quakers and how were they treated ? 

10 Where did witchcraft prevail, and how was it punished? 

11 Give the early history of New York. 

12 Tell what you know of the settlement of New Jersey. 

13 What causes led to the settlement of Pennsylvania? 

14 Give its history. 

15 Who settled Delaware and under what circumstances ? 

16 Give an account of the settlement of Maryland. 

17 Give the history of the colonies in Carolina. 

18 Tell what circumstances attended the settlement of Georgia and 

describe its progress. 

19 Name the Indian wars in the Southern colonies. 



SECTION III, 
CHAPTER I. 

FRENCH SETTLEMENT AND DISCOVERIES. — 1607. 

1. France and England.— As the commerce of the 
world reached out to the ports of America, jealousies arose 
among the nations about the profits each one acquired in 
trade or possessions in the New World. France grew to be 
an important naval power, and became England's rival in 
trade as well as in manufacture. Former wars between the 
two countries had already caused ill-will between the peo- 
ple, and in addition to this, they were separated by religious 
questions ; France held to the Roman Catholic faith, while 
England had become Protestant. 

2, The Cross and the Lilies. — Soon after the early 

settlements were made in New France, along 
the St. Lawrence, while Captian Smith and his 
men were building their cabin homes at Jamestown, the 
French priests began to travel from tribe to tribe among 
the northern and western Indians, and they won many 
converts to the Catholic religion. They gained the good 
will of the Indians by giving them presents. In the wil- 
derness around Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, in New 
York as far as Albany, and along the Kennebec in Maine, 
they set up the cross in the name of their religion, and 
placed upon it a wooden shield engraved in lilies — the na- 
tional emblem of France. In this way, they claimed the 
country for their king. 

3. The Mississippi.— The Indians told the French 

missionaries of a great river, to the west of them, 
• *' full of monsters which devour both men and ca- 



1682 FRENCH SETTLEMENT AND DISCOVERIES. 79 

noes," and flowing through low, hot lands filled with dis- 
ease and death. Marquette (mar-ket), one of their most 
daring priests, determined to find and explore this stream, 
and to claim the country along the banks for France. 

4. The Journey. — In 1673, Marquette set out with 

Joliet (zhol-e-a'y) and five other companions, ac- 
companied by two Indian guides. They sailed 
from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan, and then from Lake Mich- 
igan up the Fox river. They carried their canoes from the 
head-water of the Fox river to the head of the Wisconsin. 
There the guides left them and returned, Marquette and 
his party sailed on down the Wisconsin, through the silent, 
uninhabited forests and plains. Seven days afterward, they 
were on the bosom of the mighty Mississippi. They floated 
on beyond the mouth of the Arkansas, and having learned 
that the Mississippi did not empty into the Atlantic, 
nor into the Gulf of California, they returned to Lake 
Michigan. 

5. La Salle. — A young French fur-trader, La Salle 

(la-sal), explored Lake Ontario and obtained from 
the French king the exclusive right to trade in 
bufifalo skins and furs, and to extend the discoveries of the 
Mississippi. He built a fort on Lake Erie, at the mouth of 
the Maumee. The next year, he went to the Illinois and 
built a fort on that river. 

6. Louisiana.— After long delays and many difficulties, 

in 1682, La Salle and his men sailed down the Mis- 

sissippi to its mouth. He named the region 

through which he passed Louisiana, and added it to the 

possessions of France. This news reached Paris the same 

year.^ 

* Texas.— Two years after La Salle sailed down the Mississippi, a colony 
led by him was on its way from France to the new country. The ships 
went too far westward, and the emigrants landed on the coast of Texas. 



80 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1689 

7. English Claims.— The English felt that the French 

were intruding upon British territory. The 
* claims of some of their charters extended from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and they were not willing 
to be confined to a narrow strip of country bordering upon 
the Atlantic. The French were anxious to hold all of 
America that they had explored, and much more ; besides, 
they wanted to reserve for themselves all the profits of the 
Indian trade in fur. This state of things led to several 
wars between the English and the French, aided by In- 
dians. The last, which was known as the French and In- 
dian war, was the most important, because it decided which 
of the two nations — England or France — should rule in 
America. 

8. Indians at Work for the French. — The villages 
along the border suffered most from attacks during these 
wars. Often, while the inhabitants were at work in their 
fields, they were surprised by the report of guns near them, 
and, in another moment, the whooping savages, led on by 
French commanders, were murdering them with toma- 
hawks. Often at night, these villagers were awakened by 
the enemy's frightful war-whoop, and the glare of burning 
houses. All who could escape fled with the scanty cloth- 
ing they could gather in the haste and confusion of their 
flight. Fortified houses and forts were afterward built for 
their protection. ^ 

The vessel, which contained the provisions and the outfit for the colony, 
was wrecked near the harbor, and for this reason some of the families 
returned with the other ship to France. La Salle determined to find the 
Mississippi and go to Canada for assistance, but on the way, he was mur- 
dered by one of his companions. Because of the coming of these 
Frenchmen, Texas was claimed as a part of Louisiana, though all who 
remained perished, and this attempt at planting a colony was a failure. 
iJ Haverhill.— In the town of Haverhill, Mass., a party of Indians sur- 
rounded the house of Thomas Dustin. He was away in his field at work 



1754 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



81 




A FORTIFIED HOUSE. 



9. French Forts.— During the 
years that followed, the French were 
busy building, along the Mississippi 
and along the great lakes of the north- 
west, until they had a series of forts 
and trading posts from the St. Law- 
rence to the Gulf of Mexico. Fort 
Niagara, which had been erected at the mouth of the Niag- 
ara river, by the French -missionaries, was repaired and 
strengthened, in order to gain the respect of the Iroquois 
Indians, and to shut out the English from the fur trade. 
Another fort was built at Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, 
that its guns might prevent the English from invading 
Canada by that route ; and Fort Vincennes, on the Wabash 
river, was intended to protect tjj^eir traders on the way from 
Canada to the Mississippi. 



CHAPTER n. 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR — 1754-1763. 



1. The Causes. — This war was waged to settle the ques- 
tion whether England or France should rule the continent 
of America. It began in 1754 and ended in 1763. 

and returned too late to save his home. As he came, his children ran to 
meet him. Placing himself between the children and the Indians, he 
hurried the little ones before him and defended them with his gun until 
they reached a place of safety. The savages left his home in ashes, and 
killed his baby by dashing its head against a tree. They led his wife 
along their march as a captive. 

Mrs. Dustin, another white woman, and a boy were kept in a wigwam, 
in which two Indian families lived on an island in the Merrimac river. 
One night, while the families were asleep, the two women and the boy 
armed themselves with tomahawks and killed ten of the sleeping In- 
dians. In a few days, they surprised their friends by their return to 
Haverhill. 



82 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1753 

2. The Ohio Company.— A company of Virginians 

and Englishmen received from the king of England 
• a grant for land lying on the Ohio river, and also 
the right to trade with the Indians. They explored a part 
of the country west of the mountains and built a trading 
post on the Monongahela, at Redstone. The French sent 
traders to undersell the Virginians and troops to build forts 
near them. 

3. Washington. — These French troops made prisoners 
Oct. 31, of some of the Englishmen, and Governor Din- 

1753. widdie, of Virginia, sent Major George Wash- 
ington with a letter to the French commander, telling him 
that the land claimed by the Ohio company belonged to 
Virginia, and asking him to take away his troops, as 
they had no right there during a time of peace. Washing- 
ton was then twenty-one years of age. 

4. The Journey. — The French fort, Venango, was some 
distance north of the Ohio, on the Alleghany river. Wash- 
ington and his companions reached it in December. Their 
journey through the wilderness had been full of danger. 
It led them over mountains covered with snow and through 
swollen streams. They often waded through water which 
froze into ice upon their clothes as they went. St. 
Pierre, the French commandant, gave Washington a writ- 
ten answer to the governor's letter. 

On the way homeward, Washington and his party were 
waylaid and shot at by Indians, but they escaped unhurt. 
Before they could cross the Alleghany river, they spent a 
day making a raft, and with but one hatchet for the work. 
In the midst of the river, the raft was caught by the float- 
ing ice, and while trying to manage it with a pole, Wash- 
ington was thrown into the river. He saved himself by 
holding to one of the raft logs. The cold, dark night was 
spent upon an island. In the morning, a solid sheet 



1754 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 83 

of ice covered the water and they crossed with less 
trouble. They reached home in one month after leaving 
Fort Venango. 

5. The Answer. — St. Pierre's letter informed the gov- 
ernor that he had come by the order of his general, and 
that he had been sent to take possession of the country in 
the name of France. 

6. Fort Du Quesne. — Governor Dinwiddle sent out a 

party of men to build a fort at the junction of the 
Alleghany and Monongahela rivers. In the 
spring, a regiment of militia was sent under Colonel Fry, 
with Washington as second in command. While this force 
was on the way, the men who were building the fort were 
driven away by the French, who took possession of the 
place and finished the building. They named it Fort Du 
Quesne (dti-kan'e), in honor of the governor-general of 
Canada. 

French troops were sent from the fort to meet the Vir- 
ginians, but friendly Indians warned Washington of their 
coming, and he marched with a body of men through 
the heavy rain of a dark night to surprise them. Nearly 
all of the Frenchmen were killed or captured. 

7. Fort Necessity. — At a place called Great Meadows, 

within fifty miles of Fort Du Quesne, in what is 
17?4. ^^^ Fayette county, Pennsylvania, Washington 

built a fort. The wagons which were to bring 
provisions for the Virginia soldiers were delayed, and 
they suffered so long from the scarcity of food, that to 
the fort was given the name of Fort Necessity. About 
this time, the colonel of the regiment died, and Washing- 
ton, being the next in rank, succeeded him. While he 
was at this place, he was attacked by a large French force ; 
after fighting bravely ten hours, he was compelled to sur- 



84 HISTORY OF THE QNITEB STATES. 1755 

render, but he and his command were allowed to return to 
Virginia. 

8. War. — All of the colonies promised to help in 

fighting against the French. A treaty was 
• made which secured for the English the friend- 
ship of the Iroquois and the Ohio Indians. The north- 
western tribes were allies of the French. England and 
France also prepared for the war which they knew must 
come. Early in 1755, General Braddock was sent over as 
commander-in-chief with two regiments of British soldiers. 
After consulting with the governors of the colonies, he de- 
termined to march against Fort Du Quesne, to send a force 
to gain possession of Fort Niagara, and to forward an- 
other force to take the fort at Crown Point, on the western 
shore of Lake Cham plain." 

9. Braddock's Advance.- General Braddock moved 
^jf-t- forward with twelve hundred men toward Fort 

Du Quesne. In spite of the warnings of Washing- 
ton, who was one of his aids, General Braddock marched 
his army through the country, in military order, with gay 
uniform and shining arms. They were within seven miles 
of the fort, when a quick fire from the front announced that 
they had been attacked by an ambuscade of the enemy. 
The British soldiers had never been in such a battle. 
While their brave comrades were falling around them, no 

* Acadia, which we now know as Nova Scotia, though then belonging 
to the English, was inhabited by French people. While the troops were 
being raised to carry out General Braddock's designs, soldiers were sent to 
take these people out of their country. This was done because they re- 
fused to take the oath of allegiance to the English government, and for 
fear they would aid the French in the coming war. Seven thousand of 
them were taken from their homes and scattered throughout the colonies. 
Their houses were burned, and they were only allowed to carry their money 
and such articles as would not be inconvenient on the vessels. Many were 
left without food, and many families were divided and scattered. 



1755 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



85 



foe could be seen, and they could only fire wildly at the 
rocks and trees which hid the savages and from which the 
death-shots were falling. General Braddock showed great 
bravery, but was soon mortally wounded. Washington 
moved among the men and tried in vain to rally them. 
Two horses were killed under him, and several shots passed 
through his clothes. In three hours the British army was 
retreating in disorder. Seven hundred had been killed. 
Washington, with the Virginia troops, covered the retreat 
and saved some of the men. The retreating forces returned 
to Philadelphia. 

10. Niagara.— General Shirley marched toward Fort 
Niagara, as far as Oswego, and stopped 
there to build a fort. The sickness of his 
men and the desertion of the Indians who 
had joined him, together with the news 
of General Braddock's defeat, influenced 
him to give up his enterprise and return. 

11. Crown Point Expedition.— 
1755 General Johnson, with six thou- 
sand men, started toward Crown 

Point, on Lake Champlain. He stopped 
on the banks of the Hudson, about forty- 
five miles above Albany, and built Fort 
Edward. 

12. Battle of Lake George.— A few 
miles further north, he fought a 

I* battle with four thousand of the 

enemy, who had come from Crown 

Point. He succeeded in driving them back, 

though the loss was heavy on both sides. 

After the battle, a company of British soldiers found Baron 

Dieskau (dyeas-ko), the French commander, wounded and 

»See map of American revolution. 




LAKE CHAMPLAIN.' 



86 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1756 

leaning against a tree. He put his hand into his pocket for 
his watch, thinking he would have to give it to his captors. 
One of the British, supposing he was taking a pistol from 
his belt, shot him and he died soon afterward. 

13. Johnson's Return. — At the place where this battle 
was fought, General Johnson built another fort, and called 
it Fort William Henry. Hearing that the French had 
strengthened their fortifications at Crown Point, and that 
they had also taken possession of Ticonderoga, he concluded 
to leave a garrison at the new fort and return to Albany. 
The remainder of his army was. disbanded, and the men 
sent to their homes to spend the approaching winter. 



CHAPTER III.~-.1756--1758. 

1. Flans. — Preparations for taking possession of the 
1 ^r /> forts at Crown Point, at Niagara, and at Du Quesne, 

were resumed in 1756. Lord Loudon was sent 
from England to take command of the English forces, 
and General Montcalm came from France to succeed General 
Dieskau. War was declared between England and France, 
though it had already been going on between the colonies 
of the two countries in America. 

2. Ontario and Oswego. — In August, the French gen- 
-iiYKn eral, Montcalm, came across Lake Ontario, and 

made an attack on Fort Ontario, on the Oswego 
river. The garrison fought until all of their ammunition 
was exhausted. Then they spiked their cannon and re- 
treated to Fort Oswego, on the opposite side of the river. 
Montcalm followed them, and fourteen hundred men sur- 
rendered to him. He also captured a large amount of stores, 
after which he went back to Canada. These reverses pre- 



1758 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 87 

vented the English from carrying out their plans for the 
year. 

1757. 

3. Fort William Henry. — The next year, ten thousand 

French troops, under Montcalm, came from Crown 
• Point and besieged Fort William Henry. There 
were less than five hundred men at the fort. They fought 
bravely until half the guns were disabled and nearly all 
of the ammunition was exhausted. No help came from Fort 
Edward, fifteen miles distant, and at last the commander 
had to surrender. 

4. Terms of the Surrender. — According to the terms 
of the surrender, the English, having promised not 
to " bear arms against France for eighteen months," were 
to be allowed to leave with the honors of war; but as 
the soldiers marched off, the Indians began to rob ani kill 
many of them, while the others fled. Montcalm did all in 
his power to stop this brutal work of the Indians. 

1758. 

5. Greater Preparations. — The English felt deeply 
troubled at their failures during the last two years, but they 
determined to carry on the war with new vigor, in 1758. 
General Abercrombie was appointed in place of Lord Lou- 
don, who had been recalled, and larger armies were raised 
in America and in England. Three expeditions were un- 
dertaken -one against Louisburg, one against the forts on 
Lake Champlain, and one against Fort Du Quesne. 

6. Louisburg. — In June, thirty-seven armed vessels, 
bringing twelve thousand men, under General Amhurst, 
reached Louisburg from England. With the assistance of 
General Wolfe, the men were led over the fallen trees of 
which the breastworks were made, and against the firing of 



88 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1758 

the French from the defences of the town. The siege lasted 
until the last of July, when Louisburg and Prince Ed- 
ward's Island surrendered to the English. Both were im- 
portant victories over the French. 

7. Ticonderoga.— The English were not so successful 
elsewhere. Early in July, General Abercrombie crossed 
Lake George and landed near Fort Ticonderoga. He took 
with him fifteen thousand men, but he did not wait for his 
cannon to arrive. Montcalm sent out a force to meet the 
English as they marched toward the fort. Lord Howe was 
killed in the battle that day. He had been loved and 
trusted by the soldiers, and his death caused much sorrow 
and some disorder among them. Two days afterward, the 
English advanced a second time to take the fort, but they 
were compelled to retreat to Fort William Henry. They 
left about two thousand of their dead and wounded where 
they had fought. 

8. Fort Frontenac. — Colonel Bradstreet was sent to take 
the French fort, Frontenac, on Lake Ontario. In two days 
after his arrival, the garrison surrendered. He captured a 
quantity of stores and ammunition, besides nine armed 
vessels. This gave the English the control of Lake Ontario, 
and opened the way to Niagara. 

9. Fort Du Quesne. — After many delays, General Forbes, 
who led the expedition against Fort Du Quesne, reached the 
Ohio valley in November. His army consisted of nine 
thousand men. The French force there at that time was 
so small that orders were given to leave the fort when he 
arrived, and the French troops moved down the Ohio river. 
The name of the fort was then changed to Fort Pitt, in 
honor of Mr. Pitt, the head of the ministry in England. 
The place is still known as Pittsburg. Soon after the cap- 
ture of this fort, the western Indians made peace. 



I 




Engraved for Field's History of United States 



1759 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 89 



CHAPTER IV.— 1759--1763. 

1. General Amhurst— The war was pushed forward 
^^rrq the next year with greater determination than be- 
fore. General Amhurst was placed in command 

of the English forces. Mr. Pitt thought the capture of 
Quebec would insure the conquest of Canada. Arrange- 
ments were accordingly made to move the main army to- 
ward Quebec, while a second division went against Ticon- 
deroga, and a third against Fort Niagara. 

2. Success. — General Wolfe, who had led in the attack 
1759 ^^ Louisburg, went up the St. Lawrence to Quebec. 

His fleet carried eight thousand men ; they landed 
on the Island of Orleans, a few miles below Quebec. In or- 
der to repel this threatened attack, Montcalm removed most 
of the troops from the other forts to strengthen Quebec. 
General Amhurst attacked Crown Point and Ticonderoga 
about this time, and had but little trouble in taking both 
forts with their small garrisons. He intended joining 
Wolfe in Canada, but, as he was unable to do this, he went 
into winter quarters at Crown Point. General Prideaux 
(prid-6), with the third division of the army, succeeded in 
taking Fort Niagara. This cut off the communications of 
the French between Canada and Louisiana. 

3. Quebec is divided into the upper and lower town. 
The upper town is built on a rock two hundred feet 
high, which forms a precipice on the northwestern 
side of the St. Lawrence, called the Heights of Abra- 
ham. The lower town rests on a plain at the water's 
edge. When Wolfe's army landed on the Island of Or- 
leans, Quebec was defended by a strong fort on the north of 
the river, and by the French army of thirteen thousand 
men. Wolfe destroyed the lower town by his batteries at 



90 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1759 



1759. 



Point Levi, on the opposite side of the river, but every at- 
tempt to reach the strong fortress on the. rock had failed. 

4. The Night March. — Wolfe waited for General Am- 
hurst until September, and then began to put into prac- 
tice his bold plan of attack. He had discovered beyond the 
town a narrow path which led from the river bank to the 
heights, and which he found was guarded by about one 
hundred men. His plan was kept secret until the night 
of September 13, when, at midnight, the men were moved 
in float boats to Wolfe's Cove. They landed in silence and 
quietly climbed up the rocky pathway. The French guard 
were soon scattered, and at sunrise the ne:^t morning, 
Wolfe's army was drawn up in line of battle on the Plains 
of Abraham. 

5. Battle of Quebec. — A 
bloody battle followed, in 
which the English were 
victorious. The generals of both 
armies, Wolfe and Montcalm, 
were killed. While General 
Wolfe was dying on the battle- 
field, he heard a shout : " They 
run ! " Lifting his head, he 
asked : " Who run ? " When he 
understood that it was the French, he answered : '' Then 
I die content," and soon breathed his last. 

When Montcalm was told that he could live but a short 
time, he said : " So much the better, for then I shall not live 
to see the surrender of Quebec." Five days afterward, Que- 
bec surrendered. 

England has since erected a monument to mark the place 
of this battle, and the names of both generals are inscribed 
upon it. 
6. Montreal.— The French collected an army at Mon- 




1763 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 91 

17fi0 ^I'^al, and the next year they tried to retake Que- 
bec, but failed. In September, Montreal was com- 
pelled to surrender, and all the French posts were given up 
soon after that. 

7. War with the Cherokees. — This same year, war be- 
17fi0 S^^ with the Cherokees. The governor of South 

Corolina called a meeting of the Cherokee chiefs to 
settle a matter of business between them and his govern- 
ment. There were some misunderstandings about the 
business, and he had some of them put in prison. When 
.these Indians were released, they declared that they would 
be revenged ; on their return, they induced their nation to 
wage war with the colonists. 

8. The Cherokee Country Invaded.— General Am- 
hurst sent Colonel Montgomery with a strong force from 
New York to assist the people of Carolina. After the mili- 
tia joined him, he marched into the Cherokee country, 
where he burned several villages. A battle was fought 
near the town of Etchoe, in which Colonel Montgomery was 
victorious. 

9. Fort Loudon.— Without advancing further, he re- 
turned to New York, leaving only four companies to defend 
the borders of Carolina against the savages. The garrison 
at Fort Loudon, on the Tennessee river, was obliged to sur- 
render, or starve for the want of supplies. On the way to the 
settlements, the Indians killed or captured the whole force. 

10. A Second Invasion.— The next year. General 
^/>^-j Amhurst sent another regiment to unite with the 

colonists in invading the Indian country. This 
time the Indians were routed and driven to the mountains, 
where they consented to make peace. 

11. Pontiac War. — In 1763, Pontiac, a brave Indian 
Hjno chief, led his warriors against the English in the 

northwest. All the forts in that part of the coun- 
try, except Forts Pitt, Niagara and Detroit, fell into their 



92 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1763 



hands. Many of the settlers were killed, and many fami- 
lies were driven out from their homes, which they left in 
ashes behind them. Peace was restored by sending troops 
among these Indians to recover and hold the forts. 

IS. The Treaty of Paris.— The war between France 
^fjoo and England was not ended until 1763. A treaty 
of peace was then signed in Paris ; it was called 
the Treaty of Paris. By its terms, France gave up to Great 
Britain all of her possessions in America east of the Mis- 
sissippi, except the island and city of Orleans. At the same 
time and by the same treaty, peace was made with Spain, 
and the Spanish possessions in Florida were ceded to Eng- 
land in return for Havana, which had fallen into the hands 
of the English the year before. The English, at the close 
of this war, were masters in America, and Prance was no 
longer a rival there. 



PRINCIPAL BATTLES OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 




COMMANDERS. 




Battles, 
Fort Necessity | 


English. French. 
1754 
Washington | Villiers 1 


Victorious Army 
French. 


Near Fort Du Quesne 
Lake Georare 


1755 
Braddock.... 
Johnson Dieskau 


French. 
English. 


Oswego 


1756 

1 Montcalm.... 


French. 


1757 
Fort WiUiam Henry | Monroe | Montcalm.... 


French. 


Louisburg 

Ticonderoga 

Fort Frontenac 


1758 

Amhurst 

Abercrombie 
Bradstreet.. . 


Montcalm.... 


English. 
French. 
EngUsh. 


Crown Point 

Fort Niagara 

Quebec 


1759 

Amhurst 

Prideaux 

Wolfe 


Montcalm.... 


English. 
English. 
English. 



1673 
1682 
1754 
1755 
1756 



1757 

1758 



1759 

<< 

1760 
(( 

1763 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



EEVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 

Marquette and Joliet reached the Mississippi. 

La Salle explored the Mississippi to its mouth. 

The French and Indian war was begun. 

Braddock was defeated. The battle of Lake George was fought. 

Lord Loudon took command of the English army and the 
Marquis Montcalm, of the French. 

Forts Ontario and Oswego were taken by the French. 

Fort William Henry surrendered to the French. 

General Abercrombie succeeded Lord Loudon. 

Louisburg was captured by the English. 

A battle was fought at Ticonderoga, 

Lord Howe was killed. 

Fort Frontenac was taken by the English. 

Fort Du Quesne surrendered to the English. 

Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and Fort Niagara were taken by the 
English. 

The battle of Quebec was fought. 

All the other French posts surrendered. 

A war began with the Cherokees in Carolina. 

The Pontiac War began. 

The Treaty of Paris closed the war between France and Eng- 
land. 



QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Give an account of the progress of French explorers tn America. 

2. What causes led to the French and Indian war? 

3. Describe Washington's journey to the French fort, Venango. 

4. Tell what Washington did as a commander in this war. 

5. Give an account of General Braddock' s movements. 

6. Write the history of the war during 1755, 1756, and 1757. 

7. Give an account of the principal events of 1758. 

8. Tell all you know of the battle of Quebec. 

9. What were the results of this war ? 



BOOKS FOR REFERENCE. 

Campbell's "History of Virginia ;" Cooke's "Virginia" and "Stories 
of the Old Dominion;" Palfrey's "History of New England ;" Neal's 
"History of the Puritans;" Longfellow's "Courtship of Miles 
Standish;" Holland's " Bay-Path;" Irving's " King Philip's War 
Sketch Book;" Dunlap's " School History of New York;" Irving's 
Knickerbocker "History of New York;" Cooper's "Waterwitch" 
and "Last of the Mohicans;" Browne's "Maryland;" Ramsey's 
"History of South Carolina;" Simms' "Yemassee;" "Georgia 
Historical Collections;" Jones' "History of Georgia;" Stephens' 
"History of Georgia;" Avery's " History of Georgia;" Wright's 
"Memoir of James Oglethorpe." 



SECTION IV. 

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 
CHAPTER I. 

THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE WAR. 

1. Taxation. — The expenses of the French war had 
brought upon England a debt of nearly three millions of 
dollars, and Parliament decided that, as the war had been 
carried on partly for the protection of the colonies, they 
should be taxed to pay a portion of the debt. 

2. Navigation Acts. — Parliament had already passed 

laws called " Navigation Acts," which required the 
colonists to sell all their tobacco, wool, cotton, in- 
digo, etc., to England, where the merchants paid their own 
prices and made all the profits. The colonies were also com- 
pelled to buy everything they needed from England, at 
the price put upon the goods there, and everything bought 
or sold had to be carried in English ships. In addition to 
this, other laws were passed prohibiting the colonies from 
manufacturing the simplest articles for sale or for their own 
use. Not even a " nail for a horse-shoe" could be made ; all 
such articles were bought from England. 

The only part of these laws which favored the settlers 
was, that they were to supply Great Britain with tobacco, 
and that no planter was allowed to raise it in England or 
in Ireland. 

3. No Taxation. — America had submitted to these 
laws more than one hundred years ; though a petition for m^ 
lief had been sent to England, nothing had been gained by 



1765 THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE WAR. 95 

it. They knew that a large share of their earnings was con- 
stantly taken from them and given to the merchants of 
England. As the colonies had no representative in Par- 
liament, who could speak for them in deciding the amount 
of their taxes, they believed it was unjust to be thus taxed 
without their consent. They said they had already paid a 
large share of the expenses during the French war, and 
they were not able to pay any more. " Taxation without rep- 
resentation^^ was opposed by all the colonies. The main 
causes of the war which followed were their resistance 
of the taxes and the determination of Great Britain to 
enforce them. 

4. The Stamp Act. — In 1765, an act was passed by 

Parliament, called the " Stamp Act," by which all 
' "contracts, notes, bonds, deeds, writs and public 
documents" were ordered to be written on stamped paper, 
and they were to be of no value unless thus written. This 
paper was to be sold at high prices, and the English gov- 
ernment expected to gain a large sum by the sale of it, as 
nearly every kind of business would have to stop unless it 
were brought into use. 

5. Liberty. — Providence intended the Americans should 
be a free people, and the way for their freedom was being 
opened. They had fled from persecution in England and 
other countries of Europe; they had met all the dangers 
from wild beasts and savages in the wilderness, and they 
had sufiered the pains of hunger, cold, and disease that they 
might be free from oppression. The habits of these men 
had given them a spirit of independence. They lived on 
their own lands, which produced everything that was neces- 
sary for their comfort ; and their charters had given them 
a free government, which allowed them to make nearly all 
' '' their own laws. All this made it hard for them to sub- 
mit to the new tax law. 



96 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1766 

6. Virginia. — The people thought and talked of taxation 
until all classes became excited and earnest about 
resisting it. Through the efforts of Patrick Henry, 
a young lawyer of Virginia, the Legislature of that province 
passed resolutions declaring that the Legislature alone had 
the right to tax Virginia, and that the " Stamp Act " was 
unjust.* 

The passage of these resolutions in Virginia made all the 
other colonies more than ever opposed to the law. The 
people of Massachusetts and South Carolina proposed to the 
other colonies to send delegates to a congress to meet in New 
York, a short time before the day on which the Stamp Act 
was to become a law, that they might consult about the best 
way to resist it. 

6. Congress. — The first Colonial Congress, composed of 
^ , ^ twenty-eight delegates from nine colonies, met in 

-,Jn^' New York city, October 7, 1765. That Congress 
made a declaration of the rights of the colonies, 
and insisted that all taxes imposed upon them without their 
consent were violations of their rights. These declarations, 
with a written petition for justice, were sent by Congress 
to Parliament and to King George III. 

7. British Goods. — The merchants of the principal 
cities agreed that they would buy no more British goods 
until the Stamp Act was repealed. 

8. Repeal of the Stamp Act. — The merchants in Eng- 

land complained that they were losing heavily 

17fifi* while their trade with America was interrupted, 

and they asked that the commerce between the two 

»In Patrick Henry's famous speech on that day, he said: "Caesar had his 
Brutus, Charles I., his Cromwell, and George III. — " "Treason ! Treason !" 
cried the speaker and several others. Henry turned toward the speaker, 
and, after a moment's silence, continued, " and George III. may profit 
by their example ! If that be treason, make the most of it !" 



1768 TAXING THE COLONIES. 97 

countries might be re-opened. William Pitt and Edmund 
Burke, both men of influence in Parliament, were friends 
of the American cause, and they urged the repeal of the 
Stamp Act. This, Parliament consented to do, one year 
after passing the act. The news brought gladness to the 
people of the colonies. Their old love for the mother 
country, from which their fathers had emigrated, revived, 
and the trade between England and America began again. 

9. A New Tax on Glass, etc—The next year, the 

plan for raising money in America was tried in a 
-jli?S' new shape. Duties were fixed on *' glass, paper, 

tea and painters' colors." The money raised by 
these taxes they called revenue. Officers were sent over to 
collect it, and custom-houses were established. Besides this. 
Parliament directed that the money should be used to pay 
the salaries of the officers and of the governors and judges. 
The colonists understood that if their rulers were paid in 
that way, instead of receiving their salaries from the Legis- 
latures every year, they ;vould soon care very little for the 
rights of the people. 

10. Opposition. — Ministers preached against this new 
form of taxation, and the newspapers were full of reasons 
why it should be resisted. From New Hampshire to Geor- 
gia there were as many excited and dissatisfied men as there 
had been before the repeal of the Stamp Act. 

11. Troops in Boston. — King George III. sent two reg- 

iments of soldiers to Boston to help the governor to 
^rjn'n enforce the laws. When this was known, a town meet- 
ing was called, and a day was appointed for fasting 
and prayer, that the people might seek the protection of God. 
Boston refused to furnish quarters for the British troops, 
and the governor ordered them to take possession of the state 
house. The citizens hated the soldiers, who, as they passed 
through their streets, dressed in the red British uniform, 
7 



98 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1770 

taunted them as rebels. There was nothing for these troops 

to do; they could not compel the people to buy the English 

goods which they had agreed to do without. 

12. — The Boston Massacre. — A soldier and some of his 

companions, after having a quarrel with a rope- 

^ ^^^ ' maker in Boston, attacked him and some of his 
1770 

workmen. A mob of citizens armed themselves 

with clubs and hurried to the spot. Meeting a sentinel, 
they were about to kill him, when he called for the rest of 
the guard. They came with their guns loaded. Men and 
boys rushed up, shouting to them, and the guard fired. 
Three citizens were killed and several others wounded. 
The death of these men and the sight of the blood that had 
been tracked about on the snow through the streets aroused 
deeper and more bitter feeling throughout the city. The 
people would not be satisfied until the governor promised 
to take the troops away from the town. The next morn- 
ing, the regiment to which these soldiers belonged was 
removed to the fort outside the city. 

13. The Revenues. — In one year, the amount raised by 
a tax on teas, wines, and other articles was only eighty-five 
or ninety pounds, and the cost of the ships and troops sent 
to aid the officers in collecting it was about one hundred 
thousand pounds. 

14. The Tax on Tea. — By this time, Parliament began 
to see that the plan for raising money by taxation in the 
colonies would fail. The London merchants, who had lost 
heavily by the damage done to trade, had sent a petition to 
Parliament for help. A bill was passed to remove all the 
taxes, except that of three cents per pound on tea, which 
was retained to show the colonies that England had the 
right to tax them. The colonies objected that the princi- 
ple of taxing them without their consent had not been 
given up; that "to tax ten pounds involved the power to 
tax a thousand," and they determined to buy no more tea. 



1774 THE BOSTON PORT BILL. 99 

15. The Boston Tea Party.— There had been no 

orders for tea, but cargoes of it were sent to Amer- 
^2*-Q ' ^^^- "^^^ people of Boston wanted the tea-ships 

sent back, but the governor would not allow that. 
One cold, moonlight night, in December, a party of men, 
dressed as Indians and wrapped in blankets, went on board 
the ships and threw into the water three hundred and forty 
chests of tea. 

Other cities followed the example of Boston. At New 
York and Philadelphia, the tea-ships were not allowed to 
enter, and were obliged to return to England without un- 
loading. In Charleston, South Carolina, the tea was stored 
in damp cellars, where it moulded before it was brought 
out for sale. 

16. The Boston Port Bill.— In order to punish the 

people of Boston, Parliament passed an act which 
' required that the port of that town should be closed 
against all commerce, until the owners were paid for the tea 
that had been wasted, and until the citizens showed a spirit 
of submission to English law. The custom-house was 
removed to Salem. No vessels could come in except to 
bring wood or provisions. Even these were compelled to 
go first to the custom-house at Marblehead, and take 
with them a custom-house officer to Boston. Commerce 
had been the principal industry of the place, and when 
that was forbidden, many of the men were left without em- 
ployment. 

19. Sympathy for Boston. — There would have been 
much suffering among the poor, but for the sympa- 
thy of other towns and colonies. The towns of 
New England sent flour, cattle, oil, and fish. South Carolina 
and Georgia sent several hundred barrels of rice, and the 
other colonies gave corn, provisions and money. Marble- 
head offered the free use of its wharf and warehouses. The 
people of Boston could have opened their port by paying for 



100 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1774 

the tea that had been destroyed, but they felt that they 
were right, and they were determined not to submit. 

20. Continental Congress. — The first Continental 

Congress, composed of delegates from twelve colo- 
* nies,^ met in Philadelphia, September 5, 1774. 
This Congress declared that, before the colonies could feel 
secure, all the acts of Parliament that interfered with their 
rights must be repealed. Resolutions were passed to import 
no more goods from Great Britain. Addresses were sent to 
the people of Great Britain for aid in securing their liberty 
and to the inhabitants of the colonies for determination in 
holding it. At the same time, a petition for relief was also 
sent to the king. 

21. Preparations for War. — General Gage, who was the 
commander-in-chief of the British forces, was also ap- 
pointed military governor of Massachusetts. He began to 
fortify Boston Neck, and took possession of the stores at 
Cambridge and Charlestown. The Legislature, which had 
been dismissed by the governor, met at Cambridge, and 
called itself a Provincial Congress. This Congress ap- 
pointed a "Committee of Safety," and determined to arm 
twelve thousand men. A part of the militia was formed 
into companies called "minute men," who promised to be 
ready to defend their country at a moment's warning. The 
other colonies also prepared to defend themselves against 
the oppression of Great Britain. 

^ Georgia was the only one of the thirteen colonies that did not send 
delegates to the first Continental Congress. The province was in a prosper- 
ous condition, and was of importance to England because it bordered upon 
the Spanish possessions. It was filled with ship timber which made it 
valuable, and its many miles of seacoast, with harbors and bays and large 
rivers iato which ships coald enter, made it diflicult to defend in time of 
war. The settlements in Georgia had received the aid of nearly a million 
of dollars from England. Their governor, instead of wronging the peo- 
ple, had endeared himself to them, and he constantly used his influence 



1775 THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 101 

CHAPTER 11. 

EVENTS OF 1775. 

1. British Movements.— New troops came from Eng- 
land to General Gage, until his army numbered three 
thousand. He sent out spies to find where the Amer- 
ican stores were kept, that his soldiers might go and 
destroy them, but some of the patriots of Boston prom- 
ised to let the people know whenever the British were pre- 
paring to march out, by hanging a lantern in the spire of 
the North Church. Men were stationed just across the 
Charles river, in Charlestown, to watch for it, and late in 
the night of April 18, 1775, they saw the signal light shine 
from the old church steeple. Messengers were sent imme- 
diately to warn the people, and a short time afterward, eight 
hundred British soldiers, under the command of Colonel 
Smith and Major Pitcairn, marched out from Boston, in si- 
lence, along the road to Concord, sixteen miles away. By 
that time, the church bells of the villages began to ring. 

2. The Battle of Lexington.— By five o'clock in the 
^ morning, the British had reached Lexington, but 

■^" p, ' the minute men, commanded by Captain John 
Parker, were ready to meet them. Major 
Pitcairn rode forward and called out to the Americans, 
''' Disperse ! ye rebels ! Lay doivn your arms and disperse .-'" The 
minute men stood firmly in line, and Pitcairn gave the 
order to fire. Eight of the men of Lexington were killed 
and nine were wounded. Finding that they were largely 

to make them believe that any disobedience of the laws of Parliament was 
ungrateful, and unworthy of them. The governor had dismissed the Leg- 
islature about the time that the other colonies were sending delegates to 
Congress, and there was no power left them for the appointment of rep- 
resentatives. 



102 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1775 

outnumbered by the British, they dispersed. Pitcairn's men 
gave three cheers for their triumph, and then marched on 
toward Concord. 

3. Concord. — The news of the approach of armed 
troops brought terror to the hearts of the people ; and the 
women and children fled from the town, while the men 
were busy hiding the military stores which they knew the 
British would seize. The militia men gathered on the hill 
in front of the meeting-house, but when they saw that they 
had to meet four times their number, they retreated beyond 
Concord river and waited for help. The English soldiers 
destroyed quantities of flour and sunk five hundred pounds 
of ball in the river. The greater part of the stores had 
been hidden or removed. While they were plundering the 
town, the militia men from the surrounding country gath- 
ered to Concord, and in the fight which followed, several 
men were killed. 

4. The Retreat. — It was hear noon when the British 
began a retreat toward Boston. The Americans hurried 
over the hills and hid themselves behind barns and trees 
and stonewalls to fire at the British as they passed. From 
every rock and from every thicket along the roadside, the 
retreating forces were attacked and driven on by the New 
England men, until they began to run in disorder. The 
officers could not stop their flight. Colonel Smith was 
severely wounded, and Major Pitcairn lost his horse and 
his pistols. The whole force would have been completely 
routed, but for the reinforcements with which Lord Percy 
met them at Lexington. From that place, they continued 
the retreat, the minute men pursuing and firing until they 
reached the protection of the English vessels, about sunset. 
In this battle, the British loss was about two hundred and 
seventy-five in '^killed, wounded and missing." That of the 
Americans was nearly one hundred. 



1775 EVENTS OF 1775. 103 

5. Effects of the Battle. — Great numbers of the mili- 
tia of New England hurried to Boston, and soon after the 
battle, they nearly surrounded the town on the land side. 
A strong spirit of resistance was aroused in every colony. 
At this time, the people first began to talk of a separate 
government of their own." They had hoped for a settle- 
ment of their difficulties through the justice of the king 
and the people of Great Britain, but new the cry of "Liberty 
or Death" was heard everywhere. The British had laughed 
at the farmers and planters of America, and called them 
cowards, yet, in the first battle, they had saved themselves 
by flight. 

6. Georgia. — After the skirmish at Lexington, Georgia 
hesitated no longer about joining the other colonies in their 
union for defence. There were then in the province 
"seventeen thousand whites and fifteen thousand negroes." 
The militia numbered three thousand. The northern and 
western boundary, extending from Augusta to St. Mary's, 
was exposed to ten thousand savage warriors, but the dan- 
ger did not keep her men from the right. 

7. Ticondegoga and Crown Point were strong points, 

which the Americans wished to hold. In May, Ethan 

-^^^Y^' Allen and Benedict Arnold, with a band of brave 

men from Vermont and Massachusetts, took pos- 

° The Mecklenburg Declaration.— When the news came that both 
houses of Parliament had sent an address to the king, declaring the colo- 
nies to be in a state of rebellion, the people of Mecklenburg county, in 
North Carolina, determined to assert their independence of British law. 
The news of the bloodshed at Lexington strengthened their determina- 
tion. Two delegates from each militia company in the county were se- 
lected to represent them as a committee in Charlotte. This committee 
acknowledged themselves to be under the control of the Provincial Con- 
gress of North Carolina, and subject to the direction of the great Conti- 
nental Congress. After the resolutions of the committee were signed, the 
people adopted them. In this way, the inhabitants of Mecklenburg were 
the first to separate from the British Empire. 



104 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1775 

session of both forts, with valuable military stores and more 
than a hundred pieces of artillery. 

8. The Second Continental Congress. — On the same 

day on which Fort Ticonderoga was captured, the 
?Srjr:^ ' second Continental Congress assembled in Philadel- 
phia. Its members determined to raise an army of 
twenty thousand men ; by a unanimous vote, they elected 
George Washington, of Virginia, the commander-in-chief of 
the American army. He was then a member of Congress, 
and was greatly surprised at the choice ; but he modestly ac- 
cepted the appointment, refusing to receive for his services 
anything more than his actual expenses required. He then 
resigned his seat in Congress and began preparations for his 
work in the army. 

9. The British Army Increased. — Reinforcements in 
large numbers were sent to Boston under the command of 
three generals — Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne. These addi- 
tions gave General Gage twelve thousand men. 

10. Breed's Hill Fortified. — There were two ranges of 

hills near Boston, that could be made useful to either 
111b army— Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, on the north- 
west, and Dorchester Heights on the south. The 
New England troops had built a line of fortifications from 
Roxbury to the Mystic river. General Prescott went, on 
the night of June 16, 1775, with a thousand men, to fortify 
Bunker Hill. The earthworks were erected on Breed's Hill 
instead of Bunker Hill. The work did not begin until mid- 
night ; but every man did his part faithfully, and at day- 
light the British were surprised to see the Americans en- 
trenched upon the hill opposite Boston. 

11. The Battle of Bunker Hill.— The guns from the 
ships and from a battery in Boston began firing upon the 
earthworks at once. General Howe, with three thousand 
men, crossed in boats to Charlestown to begin the attack. 



1775 



THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 



105 




The shells thrown from the battery set fire to Charlestown. 
While the houses were burning, Howe advanced along the 
hillside toward Prescott's 
men, who, after a night 
of labor, without food or 
water, stood behind their 
entrenchments awaiting 
his approach. Their sup- 
ply of powder was very 
small, and the orders of 
their officers were, "Aim 
low." "Wait until you 
can see the whites of 
their eyes." 

A volley from Prescott's 
muskets covered the 
ground with British red- 
coats — dead and wound- 
ed. Those who were unhurt turned back, and a shout rose 
from the breastworks. A second charge was made, which 
ended as the first had done. General Clinton brought forth 
fresh troops, and the third attack was successful. As the 
New England men had used nearly all of their powder, 
they were compelled to retreat. The British were victori- 
ous, though their loss was more than a thousand men. The 
Americans lost about four hundred." 

12. The Army near Boston.— ** Washington established 

cThis battle was fought on Breed's Hill, yet it is known as the battle of 
Banker Hill, and the Bunker Hill monument stands where Prescott 
fought. 

d George Washington was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, 
near the Potomac, February 22, 1732. His mother was left a widow when 
he was quite young. He had few advantages of education, and was 
truly a " self-made man." When a boy of sixteen, he began surveying 
land for Lord Fairfax. His labors left him little time for reading, but 



MAP OF BOSTON AND VICINITY. 



106 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1775 

his headquarters at Cambridge. He found fourteen thou- 
sand men gathered there from different parts of the country, 
but with no powder or cannon, no tents or blankets, and 
Congress had not furnished him with money to obtain these 
needed supplies. Very few of the regiments had uniforms. 
Many were in their shirtsleeves, as they had come in haste 
from home. Some of the companies from Virginia wore 
embroidered upon the breasts of their hunting-shirts the 
words " Liberty or Death.^^ Washington's first work was to 
organize the army — that is, to put each soldier in his proper 
place, and then to teach him the duties of a soldier. 
He had to meet many difficulties, yet, in a short time, he 
was able to compel the British to remain inside the town of 
Boston. 

13. Royal Government. — By the autumn of 1775, 
there were no royal officers with any power left them in any 
of the colonies. All the royal governors had been com- 
pelled to leave the country.® 

the few books he had were read and re-read with the closest attention ; 
and whatever he attempted, he tried to do well. He sought the friend- 
ship of the best men that he knew, and in that way was kept from the 
evil of bad associates. One of the principal features in his character was 
his trust in God and his providential care over all things. He was 
strictly temperate, and this, with the hardy life of a surveyor in the 
wilderness, where he often slept, wrapped in a blanket, on the ground, 
before a camp-fire, did much to give him a strong constitution and to fit 
him for his duties as a leader in the army. At the age of forty-three, he 
took command of the American forces. His success as an officer in the 
French war had given him the confidence of the new army, but they had 
served with him only a short time when their hearts turned to him in 
tenderest love. 

eDunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, seized a quantity of mili- 
tary stores, collected at Williamsburg, but Patrick Henry, with a com- 
pany of militia, compelled him to pay for what he had taken. After he 
had caused some trouble with the negroes, he was driveu from the col- 
ony. He took refuge on a British man-of-war, and, in revenge, he bom- 
barded and burned the town of Norfolk. 



1775 CANADA INVADED. 107 

14. The Invasion of Canada.— Some of the leading 
men of the country thought that a large amount of stores 
could be secured at Quebec, and that the people of Canada 
would take part with the colonies in the revolution, if en- 
couraged to do so. Congress decided to invade that prov- 
ince. General Schuyler (ski'-ler) advanced with his forces by 
Lake Champiain, and Colonel Benedict Arnold marched 
through Maine, by the Kennebec. 

15. Schuyler and Montgomery.— Schuyler had gone 
only a part of the distance, when he became seriously sick, 
and was compelled to return home. General Montgomery 
took command of the troops he left, and marched onward 
to St. Johns. After some delay, he took possession of the 
place. He then proceeded to Montreal. Its surrender fol- 
lowed without difficulty. The time, for which some of his 
men had enlisted, ended during his stay there, and he moved 
on to Quebec with those who remained. 

16. Arnold.— Arnold's army endured many hardships 
along the way. Their supply of provisions became so small 
that " they even ate the dogs that followed them," yet they 
journeyed on, and crossed the St. Lawrence river at Point 
Levy. His force was not strong enough to attack the city ; 
therefore he journeyed on to Point aux Trembles beyond 
Quebec, where he joined Montgomery. 

17. Quebec— Together, they moved against Quebec. On 
^ the last day of December, the attack was made in 
-,„f r* the midst of a storm of snow and sleet. The Amer- 
icans were repulsed; General Montgomery was 

killed and Arnold wounded. Arnold remained near Que- 
bec until spring, when he was driven back by a larger Brit- 
ish force. Nothing was gained by the invasion. 

18. The King's Proclamation.— In November, Con- 
gress learned that the king had refused to hear anything 
from the colonies, and that he had published a proclamation, 



108 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1776 

calling them ^' rebels and traitors, whom civil and military 
officers were ordered to bring to justice." At the same time, 
the king made arrangements for increasing his army, by 
hiring Hessians from Germany, and these were to be sent 
out to conquer the rebels.' 



CHAPTER III. 

EVENTS OP 1776. 

1. Important Events.— This year has long been re- 
membered, because of the Declaration of Independence, 
made by Congress. The siege of Boston and the attack on 
Charleston, South Carolina, which occurred during this 
year, together with the movements of the two armies, in 
New York and New Jersey, made it a year of deep interest 
in the history of our country. 

2. Washington's Plans. — Large additions to the Brit- 
ish forces were expected in the spring. Though the Amer- 
ican army numbered less than ten thousand men, and 
though its supply of artillery and powder was very small. 
General Washington decided to entrench a part of his 
troops on Dorchester Heights, which overlooked Boston and 
the harbor. His plans were laid carefully, and the work was 
done secretly and silently, during the night of March 4th. 

3. The Evacuation of Boston. — By the dawn of the 
morning, strong lineg of breast-works had been built along 
the tops of the two hills, and when General Howe, who was 
then in command at Boston, saw the work, he said it must 

^Tories and Whigs. — Though the greater number of the people were 
earnest in their desire for freedom, there were, all through the war, some 
men who professed to love the king, and who thought the colonies ought 
to submit to Parliament. These men were known as Royalists, or Loyal- 
ists, and more commonly as Tories. The others were called Rebels, or 
Whigs. 



1776 THE BRITISH FLEET AT CHARLESTON. 109 

have been the labor of twelve thousand men. He knew 
that he must either drive back the Americans or leave 
Boston. He called a council of war, and determined to re- 
treat from the city at once. Fifteen hundred loyalists went 
with him to Halifax. 

General Washington removed his headquarters to Boston 
after Howe's departure. The people all over the country 
rejoiced at this deliverance. The patriots who had been 
compelled to remain in the city had not been able to obtain 
provisions without paying the highest prices, and for fuel, 
they had torn down empty houses, and even burnt the pews 
of churches. Congress sent its thanks to the army, and had 
a gold medal made in honor of the victory. 

4. Results of the Victory.— The British left a num- 
ber of cannon in Boston, and large quantities of coal, wheat, 
clothing, and blankets. British ships came into the harbor 
afterward ; the captains had not heard of General Howe's 
retreat, and their cargoes became the property of the Amer- 
icans. One of these ships carried seven times as much 
powder as General Washington had when he began to fortify 
the heights. 

5. Charleston.— On the first of June, 1776, Sir Peter 

Parker's fleet, carrying twenty-five hundred Brit- 
^^no ' ish soldiers under the command of General Clinton, 

was seen near Charleston, South Carolina. Orders 
were immediately sent into the country for the militia 
forces to come to the defences of the city. Reinforcements 
from the adjoining colonies, and the militia of South Caroli- 
na, were placed under the leadership of General Charles Lee, 
who had been appointed to command all the forces of the 
Southern colonies. The fortifications were strengthened; 
negroes from the country and citizens of the town worked 
with spade and hoe until all was done that could be done. 
On Sullivan's Island, a fort was built of palmetto logs and 



110 HISTORY OF THE UNITEB STATES. 1776 

filled in with sand. It was mounted with cannon, and its 
garrison was commanded by Colonel Moultrie. The sup- 
ply of lead was so small that, in order to furnish bullets, 
the windows of churches and dwellings were stripped of 
their weights. 

6. The Attack. — The ships began the attack about 

ten o'clock in the morning ,with a terrific cannon- 
^rftjn ' ade ; but the balls either sunk in the sand or in the 
spongy palmetto logs, which did not split or 
break. There were ten times as many guns firing from 
the ships as Colonel Moultrie had at the fort, and he had to 
use his powder sparingly. The battle continued until after 
nine o'clock at night. The next morning, the fleet was out 
of sight, on its way back to New York. 

7. Fort Moultrie. — In honor of the brave defenders 
of the fort, it received the name of their commander, and is 
still known as Fort Moultrie. 

8. Sergeant Jasper. — Soon after the battle began, Ser- 
geant William Jasper, one of the garrison at Fort Moultrie, 
saw that the flag-staff" had been broken by a cannon ball, 
and that the flag had fallen over the wall. Facing the fu- 
rious fire from the ships, he leaped down, and, snatching up 

The Cherokee and Creek Indians.— The Englith agent, who had 
given a yearly present of clothing and guns from his government to the 
Indians, made the savages believe that the non importation laws of the 
colonies would keep them from receiving presents from the king, and that 
the war would be turned against the red men as soon as possible. The 
Indians were persuaded to attack the white people about the same time 
that the British forces came to Sullivan's Island, and after the departure 
of the fleet, a part of the militia was sent out to punish the Cherokees. A 
force from Virginia and one from North Carolina also crossed the moun- 
tains to check the advance of the savages. The Georgia militia approached 
from the south, and when the Indians found that they were surrounded 
on all sides, they asked for peace. A treaty of friendship was made, and, 
to keep it from being broken, Fort Rutledge was built. Two companies of 
soldiers were sent to defend it. 



1776 DECLARATION OV INDEPEKDENCE. Ill 

the flag, returned unhurt, and fixed it in its place. The 
next day, he was presented with a sword by President Rut- 
ledge, as a compliment for his bravery. 

9. The Declaration of Independence.— By the 

spring of 1776, nearly all of the colonies had given 
^rjin ' up the hope of being reconciled with the British 

government, and had directed their delegates in 
Congress to vote for a separation from England and for the 
formation of a government of their own. A resolution was 
offered by Richard Henry Lee, one of the members from 
Virginia, "That these united colonies are, and of right 
ought to be, free and independent States." After adopting 
the resolution, a committee was selected to write a declara- 
tion of independence. This was written by Thomas Jeffer- 
son, who was chairman of the committee, and on July 4, 
1776, it was read in Congress. Every member voted for it 
and signed it. This declaration gave to the thirteen colo- 
nies the title of the United States of America.* 

10. A Free People. — A few days later, General 
Washington had the Declaration read to every brigade in 
the army, and the news spread from one colony to another. 
Everywhere the people expressed their joy. Houses were 
illuminated, bon-fires kindled, and bells rung. 

11. The Two Armies. — After the evacuation of 

a Publishing the Declaration. — The people of Philadelphia were 
waiting anxiously to know what Congress would do, and an agreement 
had been made that, as soon as the Declaration was adopted, the bell of 
the old State House in which Congress was holding its meeting, should 
be rung. This bell had been hanging in its place about twenty years, 
and upon it had been cast this inscription : " Proclaim liberty through- 
out the land to all the inhabitants thereof." The bell-ringer had sent his 
son to the door of the hall, where the doorkeeper could let him know 
when the Declaration was to be made public. As soon as the boy heard the 
news, he ran to his father screaming, " Ring! Ring ! Ring!^^ and the old 
bell " proclaimed liberty to all the land." A crowd gathered around the 
State House steps and the resolution was read to them. 



112 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1776 

Boston, General Washington sent the main part of his 
army — about seventeen thousand men— to New York, 
thinking that might be the next place of attack. Early in 
July, General Howe took possession of Staten Island with 
his forces from Halifax. In a short time, a fleet, commanded 
by his brother, Admiral Howe, brought over reinforcements 
from Europe, and General Clinton came with his troops 
from Charleston. This increased General Howe's army to 
thirty thousand. 

12. The British Plan. — The British general intended 
to gain possession of the city of New York, and the country 
between that and Canada. By that means, New England 
would be separated from the other colonies. 

13. Battle of Long Island.— As General Clinton in- 
1 07 tended to make the attack on Brooklyn first, he 

i^^n ' crossed to Long Island with ten thousand men. 
The United States troops at Brooklyn numbered 
about nine thousand, and were commanded by General Put- 
nam. A battle was fought, and the Americans were de- 
feated with a loss of sixteen hundred men. Eleven hundred 
of these were prisoners. The British loss was very small. 

14. The Retreat.— General Howe believed that all the 
. OQ American troops would fall into .his hands before 

* they could escape from the island, but on the night 
of the second day after the battle, while a heavy fog hid 
the movements of both armies, General Washington re- 
moved his men in boats to New York. He knew that the 
British ships would prevent his remaining in the city of 
New York. He therefore continued his retreat to Fort 
Washington. After Howe began to move further up the 
river, Washington thought that it would not be safe to 
leave men and stores at this place ; but his officers, in a 
council of war, agreed that it would be best to hold the fort, 
and Congress sent an order which induced him to leave 







Engraved for Field's History of United States. 



1776 THE RETKEAT THROUGH NEW JERSEY. 113 

three thousand men to defend it. The commander-in-chief 
marched the rest of his force to White Plains. Howe pur- 
sued and attacked him there. The Americans fought 
bravely, but were compelled to give way ; they marched to 
a stronger position at North Castle. Howe returned toward 
New York. Washington left four thousand men with Gen- 
eral Charles Lee, at North Castle, and, because he believed 
that Philadelphia would be the next point of attack, he 
crossed the Hudson and marched southward. 

15. Fort Washington. — In a few days after the Amer- 
■j^ ^n icans had crossed the Hudson, the British cap- 

^^Ln ' tured Fort Washington. The loss of this fort was 
a great disappointment to the people of the United 
States. Many found fault with General Washington for not 
withdrawing his men and stores from the fort. Others said, 
a better general would not retreat before every advance of 
the enemy. They did not understand his difficulties, nor 
did they know that he did what was the only thing that 
could save the American army. ''He never excused himself 
before the world by throwing the blame on another," even 
when the mistakes of others made him appear to be in the 
wrong. 

16. The Retreat through New Jersey.— Soon after 
the surrender at Fort Washington, the garrison was removed 
from Fort Lee, and General Washington continued his re- 
treat through New Jersey, until he crossed the Delaware 
river. Earl Cornwallis commanded the British, who pur- 
sued. On the way, British troops were left at Newark, New 
Brunswick, and Princeton, and Cornwallis reached Trenton 

General Charles Lee.— Repeated orders were sent by General Wash- 
ington to General Charles Lee, to bring the troops that had been left 
with him at North Castle, in New York, but he would not obey. At last, 
he concluded to come, but was captured on the way by British scouts. 

8 



114 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1776 

just as the last of the Americans were crossing the river, 
but he could not follow for want of boats, and concluded to 
wait until the river was frozen over. 

17. The American Army. — The time, for which many 
of the Americans had enlisted, ended in November, and near- 
ly half of them then returned home. Others, discouraged and 
worn with privations, deserted, and the commander-in-chief 
was left with only three thousand men. A great many of 
these were without shoes, and had only scant and ragged 
clothing. 

18. Trenton. — Cornwallis returned to New York, but 
he left at Trenton fifteen hundred Hessians — German sol- 
diers from the province of Hesse Cassel, in Germany — who 
had been hired by the king of England. General Wash- 
ington determined to strike a blow at the triumphant Brit- 
ish, and supposing that the Germans would spend the hol- 
idays in feasting and drinking, Christmas night was chosen 
as the time for the attack. 

19. Crossing the Delaware. — A division of the army 
-p. cyr marched with him to the river, ready to cross. 

^-' ^ ' Their path through the snow was marked with 
blood from their bleeding, half-covered feet. The 
night was intensely cold and very dark. The river 
was full of floating ice, but wherever their brave com- 
mander led, those men did not shrink from following. 

20. The Victory. — The early morning found them on 
the Jersey side of the river again, and in a few hours, Tren- 
ton was attacked. The Hessians, who had spent the night 
in carousing, were not prepared for a battle ; the surprise 
was so complete that about fifty of them were killed, their 
commander, Colonel Rahl, mortally wounded, and about one 
thousand of them made prisoners. Valuable stores were 
taken, and General 'W ashington returned to Pennsylvania 
with his prisoners and his prizes, having lost only four men, 



177? THE TWO CAMPAIGNS OF 1777. 115 

two of whom were frozen to death. Before this victory, 
many thought the cause of liberty was lost, but after it, the 
army was encouraged, and new additions were made to it. 
In a short time, the whole American force re- crossed at 
Trenton. 
21. Khode Island. — About three weeks before this vic- 
-p) tory, at Trenton, Sir Peter Parker's fleet sailed to 
1 fj^jn Rhode Island, and the whole colony was immedi- 
ately invaded. 



CHAPTER IV. 

1777. 

1. The Two Campaigns of 1777. — This year was 
marked by two important campaigns; viz., that of General 
Washington, in New Jersey, and the invasion of Burgoyne. 

2. Princeton. — Cornwallis advanced toward Trenton, 
J Q January 2, with a large body of men ; he felt sure 
w ^Jfj ' that he would be able to capture the whole of the 

United States army. General Washington could 
not risk a battle with an enemy which so largely outnum- 
bered him, because his retreat was made almost impossible 
by the Delaware river, which was filled with masses of 
floating ice. He left a guard to keep his camp-fire burn- 
ing, while he marched through the country, around to the 
rear of the British army; he reached Princeton in the morn- 
ing of the next day. Cornwallis could not believe that the 
sound of firing, in the direction of Princeton, was from 
Washington's guns. But he was soon convinced ; this sud- 
den attack upon the British, at that place, was successful, 
and Washington marched on to Morristown, with the pris- 
soners he had taken. 
3. Retreat of Cornwallis.— Cornwallis retreated to 



116 HISTORY OF THE tJNiTEt) STATES. 177Y 

New Brunswick and Amboy ; this freed nearly all of New 
Jersey from her much-dreaded enemy. 

4. Assistance from France. — Congress found so much 
difficulty in obtaining supplies for the army that an 
attempt was made to procure aid from foreign countries. 
Mr. Silas Deane was sent to France, in 1776, and afterward 
Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee. For a long time, 
no public sympathy was shown, but, secretly, about one 
thousand barrels of powder and about twenty thousand 
stands of arms came from France to America during the year 
1777. 

5. LaFayette. — One of the young French noblemen, 
the Marquis de LaFayette, felt so deeply interested for the 
colonies in their struggle for independence, that he prepared 
a vessel at his own expense and sailed for America. 

6. Howe's Movements Against Philadelphia. — 
General Washington's army continued to increase, and in 
May, it numbered ten thousand. The British were anxious 
to get possession of Philadelphia, but they thought the 
safer plan for them would be to go in vessels by water ; and 
about the last of June, they left New Brunswick and went 
back to Staten Island. After a month of preparation, 
eighteen thousand of them sailed to the Chesapeake Bay, 
and landed in Maryland, intending to march to Philadel- 
phia. They could not go up the Delaware river, because 
the Americans had built Fort Mifflin on one bank and Fort 
Mercer on the other, a little further south, to guard the 
river. 

7. Washington in Philadelphia. — When General 
Washington heard where the British had gone, he marched 
through New Jersey, in order to reach Philadelphia first. 
The Marquis de LaFayette arrived in that city soon after- 
ward. He joined the army as a volunteer, but asked no 
pay for his services. Congress soon gave him the appoint- 
ment of Major-General. He and General Washington be- 
came firm friends. 



1777 burgoyne's invasion. 117 

8. The Battle of Chad's Ford.— In order to interrupt 
q i -l ^ the march of the British from Maryland, the 

' ' American army moved from Philadelphia, south- 
ward. Howe reached Brandy wine Creek, at Chad's 
Ford, where Washington had selected a strong position. 
The attack was made in the front of the American lines, 
while Clinton marched quietly around to the rear. In the 
battle fought at this place, the Americans were defeated 
with heavy loss. LaFayette and Count Pulaski were 
wounded.* 

9. The Fall of Philadelphia.— Seeing that Philadel- 

phia could no longer be protected, Congress re- 
®^ * ' moved to York, beyond the Susquehana, in Penn- 
sylvania, and, as the military stores at Reading were in 
danger, the army withdrew to Pottsgrove, on the Schuylkill, 
about eight miles above the city. The British marched 
into Philadelphia, September 26. 

burgoyne's invasion. 

10. Danger from Another Source. — During the spring 
of this year, General Burgoyne brought over seven thousand 
British regulars, and landed in Canada. By enlisting In- 
dians and Canadians, he there raised the number to ten 
thousand, and marched his army to Lake Champlain. It 
had been arranged that General Clinton, who had been left 
in command at New York city, should move up the Hudson 
and meet him. In that way, a former plan, which the 
Americans had tried to prevent, would be carried out — that 
of separating New England from the other colonies. 

11. Burgoyne's Advance. — After reaching Crown 

Point, which was then in the hands of the British, 
^ ^ * General Burgoyne advanced to Ticonderoga, and 

» Count Pulaski was a Polish nobleman, who had oflFered the United 
States the aid of his sword. 



118 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1777 

besieged the fort. The American garrison, commanded by- 
General St. Clair, surrendered, and retired to Fort Edward, 
on the Hudson. General Schuyler, then in command of the 
northern army, knew that his four thousand men could not 
withstand Burgoyne's ten thousand, and he retreated to the 
islands at the mouth of the Mohawk to wait for reinforce- 
ments. Many were discouraged at the loss of the forts 
along this retreat. Some men blamed General Schuyler. 
Arnold and Morgan, with other officers, were sent to aid him. 
Trees had been cut down across the road, and bridges burned 
by the Americans ; and Burgoyne did not arrive at Fort 
Edward until the last of July.^ 

12. Stillwater. — In August, Congress appointed Gen- 
eral Gates to succeed General Schuyler. After the com- 
mand of the army was given to General Schuyler, he moved 
his headquarters from the mouth of the Mohawk to Still- 
water. Soon afterward, the British left Fort Edward and 
marched toward this place. The two armies met at Bemis 

^ The Battle of Bennington.— At Fort Edward, all of the supplies 
for the British army had to be hauled through the woods from Ticonde- 
roga. Having heard of a quantity of stores at Bennington, in Vermont, 
General Burgoyne sent a company of men, under Colonel Baum, to 
take them; but Colonel John Stark, with four hundred "Green 
Mountain Boys " and New Hampshire militia, drove them back. 
When he saw them, he called to his men, "See! There are the 
red-coats. We must beat to-day, or Molly Stark's a widow." The 
fighting continued two hours, after which the British were compelled to 
give way. A second expedition, which had been sent out on the same 
errand, arrived in a short time and renewed the attack. Fortunately, a 
regiment of fresh troops joined Colonel Stark about that time, and he 
was again victorious. The British loss was more than seven hundred, 
while that of the Americans was less than one hundred. 

Port Schuyler. — Before leaving Canada, Burgoyne had sent out 
an expedition under Colonel St. Leger to take Fort Schuyler, which is 
now the village of Rome, in New York, on the Mohawk river. After the 
capture of the fort, he was to rejoin the army at Albany. The expedition 
was a failure. Fort Schuyler was not taken and he did not reach Albany. 



1777 burgoyne's invason. 119 

Heights, and a battle was fought, in which Arnold was one 
of the foremost in deeds of bravery. This battle gave no 
victory of importance to either side. The British held the 
ground upon which they had fought, but were prevented 
from advancing beyond it. This engagement is known as 
the first battle of Stillwater; it has also been called the 
battle of Bemis Heights. 

13. The Battle of Saratoga. — For nearly three weeks 
Q . « there was no advance and no retreat. General 

Burgoyne waited for the arrival of General Clin- 
ton with troops from New York ; but, finding that he could 
expect no help from that direction, he determined to risk 
another battle. When the two armies met again, the 
Americans were successful, and the British were driven back 
with heavy loss. This battle has been called the second 
battle of Stillwater, or the battle of Saratoga. 

14. Burgoyne's Surrender. — When Burgoyne began 
Oct 17 *^ retreat toward Fort Edward, the Americans, by 

-trfrjM ' a hurried march, surrounded his army at Saratoga. 
His provisions were nearly exhausted, and October 
17, his whole force, of about six thousand, surrendered. The 
Americans now no longer feared an invasion from Canada, 
and new troops began to take the places of General Wash- 
ington's missing companies. 

15. Germantown.— In October, Washington heard that 
Oct 4 ^®^®^^1 Howe had sent a part of his forces to the 

forts, on the Delaware, and he made arrangements 
to attack a portion of the British army, at Germantown, 
six miles from Philadelphia. General Washington's orders 
were, that the attack should be made at every point, at five 
o'clock. At first, the Americans had the advantage ; but 
General Greene, who commanded a division of the army, 
was three quarters of an hour behind time, in reaching the 
place that had been assigned him, and those who had made 



120 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1777 

the first charge were driven back, although they fought 
with courage and determination. This was one of the most 
desperate battles of the war, and the United States army 
lost one thousand men. 

16. Forts Mifiain and Mercer. — Although the Brit- 
ish held Philadelphia, their ships could not reach the city 
to bring them supplies, because of the two forts — Mercer 
and Mifflin — which guarded the Delaware river, and they 
determined to take them. After a long and brave defence, 
the garrisons at these posts were compelled to surrender. 

17. Valley Forge.— General Howe found comfortable 
winter quarters for his army in Philadelphia, while Wash- 
ington led his soldiers to Valley Forge, twenty-one miles 
distant. This was a sheltered spot, among the hills, cov- 
ered with trees. From these trees the soldiers cut wood for 
their fires, and logs for building their cabins, which took 
the place of tents. The men were greatly in need of com- 
fortable clothes and blankets. Congress was unable to help 
them, because it had no money, except paper money, which 
was of very little value. Many times they were even with- 
out bread. The snows were deep on the ground before a 
large number of them could be provided with shoes, and 
their bare, torn feet left prints of blood behind them. 
Horses were so scarce in the camp that, for hauling wood 
and other articles, the soldiers made carts, which were 
drawn by their own hands. That winter at Valley Forge 
was a dreary time, but the brave men, who were suffering 
pain and want for the sake of liberty, did not shrink from 
their hard duties ; and but few of them deserted their coun- 
try's cause. 

18. The Conway Cabal. — The suffering, which Wash- 
ington was compelled to witness every day, and which he 
had no power to relieve, was a source of deep grief to him. 
A plot was formed in Congress, about this time, to take 



1778 EVENTS OF 1778. 121 

from him the command of the army, because he had not 
been so successful in Pennsylvania as Gates had been in 
New York. This conspiracy was called the " Conway Ca- 
bal," in honor of its leader, Thomas Conway. Without at- 
tempting to bring reproach upon any who opposed him, 
General Washington justified himself, by plainly stating to 
Congress his reasons for all that had been done. Nothing 
could take from him the love of his army, nor the trust 
which the greater portion of the people reposed in him, and 
those who had tried to injure him soon repented of their 
unjust action. 

19. Articles of Confederation.— In 1777, Congress 
1^ agreed upon a set of laws which were to govern the 

^„„»' United States after the separation from England; 
these laws were called Articles of Confederation. 
According to these articles, each colony entered the Union 
as a free and separate State, claiming one vote in Congress, 
and the right to manage its own affairs, but the union 
was for mutual good and protection. The control of all 
that belonged to the general government was given to Con- 
gress, and the powers of Congress were carefully stated in 
the articles adopted. All the States did not consent to 
adopt them until 1781. 



CHAPTER V. 

1778. 

1. The French Alliance.— After the news of Bur- 

Fpb 6 g^y^^'s surrender reached the king of France, he 

-jY7*Q ' decided to acknowledge the independence of the 

United States, and signed a treaty of alliance, in 

February, in which he promised to aid them in carrying on 

the war. England received this as a declaration of war 



122 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1778 

from France. In a few weeks, French fleets, with soldiers 
and supplies, were sent to America. 

2. A Peace Commission. — Great Britain had learned 
J o hj this time that the colonies would never submit; 

i^fjo ' and the loss of Burgoyne's army, together with the 
interference of France, induced Parliament to 
make ofiers of peace. Lord Howe and Sir Henry Clinton 
sent to Congress, in June, the offer of freedom from taxa- 
tion, and the privilege of sending representatives to Par- 
liament, if they would again become obedient subjects of 
the king. Congress refused to listen to any proposition 
from England unless the army and fleets were removed from 
America ; and declared that nothing less than independ- 
ence would satisfy the people. 

3. Evacuation of Philadelphia.— A fleet, com- 
y ^rs manded by Count D'Estaing (des-ta'ng), sailed 

frorn France for the United States. When Lord 
Howe received this news, he ordered the British army to 
leave Philadelphia, and the British vessels to sail away 
from the Delaware river. Both went to New York. Gen- 
eral Washington marched his forces from Valley Forge into 
the city of Philadelphia. 

4. The Battle of Monmouth. — The British were pur- 
-j- ^r> sued, as they retreated through New Jersey, as 

^ ^„^ ' far as Monmouth (m'on-muth). There they were 
overtaken by General Washington, but in the 
engagement at that place, his army gained nothing. The 
heat of the sun was so great that many sank down from 
exhaustion, and died by the roadside. The British army 
reached Sandy Hook and took ships for New York.* 

^General Charles Lee. — General Charles Lee had been exchanged for 
a British general, who had been captured by the Americans, and was in 
command of one of the divisions of this army. It was because he re- 
treated instead of going forward, in obedience to General Washington's 



1778 THE FRENCH FLEET. 123 

5. The Wyoming Massacre.— In July, a party of 
Indians and Tories, led by Colonel John Butler^ entered the 
beautiful valley of Wyoming, in Pennsylvania. They 
spread ruin and destruction everywhere, burning houses 
and murdering the inhabitants. Some of the prisoners, they 
cruelly tortured before they put them to death. One man was 
held by pitchforks on burning coals until death ended his 
pain. Six other persons were placed near the bank of the 
river, and an Indian woman walked around them singing a 
death-song, and striking their heads with a club as she 
passed. She kept up this barbarous cruelty as long as there 
was a sign of life in them. 

In November, Cherry Valley, in New York, was inv aded 
and ruined in the same way. 

6. Count D'Estaing's Fleet.— The French fleet 
reached America, in July, with four thousand troops. Wash- 
ington thought it could render the greatest service by at- 
tacking the British ships in the harbors of Rhode Island. He 
wished to drive them out and get possession of the military 
stores there. Arrangements were accordingly made for 
General Sullivan to march with a force by land, so he 
could reach Newport at the same time that the fleet was ex- 
pected. A storm arose while they were on the way, and 
some of D'Estaing's vessels were so much injured that they 
had to go to Boston for repairs. 

7. The Battle of Quaker Hill, or Batt's Hill.— 
. on The fleet, having failed to arrive, Sullivan was 

compelled to march back. He was followed by 

commands, that this battle was not the victory that the commander-in- 
chief had planned it to be. Washington reproved him for his conduct, and 
the next day received two very insolent letters from him. Lee was after- 
ward tried by a court-martial, that is a board of military officers, which 
suspended him from any command in the army for a year. He never 
served as a soldier again. He died before the war ended. 



124 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1778 

the enemy to the northern part of the island, but the 
British were obliged to retreat after a battle, in which each 
army lost more than two hundred men. The Americans 
fortified Batt's Hill. Quaker Hill was very near the battle- 
field; hence the engagement has been known by both 
names. 

8. Army Movements. — The British marched to 
Sandy Hook after the battle of Monmouth, and from that 
place sailed to New York. General Washington returned 
to Middlebrook, in New Jersey, and went into winter quar- 
ters there. 

9. Georgia Invaded. — England saw that very little 
had been gained during two years of war in the North, and 
as the year drew to a close, the Northern States were re- 
lieved, and the South became the scene of battle. The plan 
was that General Prevost (pre-v'o) should invade Georgia 
from Florida, and that Clinton should send a part of his 
fleet from New York, with two thousand men, commanded 
by Colonel Campbell, to attack Savannah.^ 

i^The people of Florida had always been unfriendly to Georgia and 
South Carolina, and be'ore these movements were begun, two bands of 
armed men were sent from East Florida to make raids into Georgia. 
One came in boats, and the other marched by land. The first reached 
Sunbury, near the coast of Georgia, and demanded the surrender of 
the fort. Colonel Mcintosh replied: " Come and take it," but, instead 
of taking it, they landed ^n one of the islands near that place. 

The others marched toward Savannah, and were met by General 
Scriven with about one hundred militia, who checked their advance by 
several engagements. In one of them, he was wounded, and fell from 
his horse, when several of the raiders came up and shot him again. He 
afterward died from these wounds. The party passed on toward the 
Ogeechee, where some of the Georgians, with the help of their slaves, 
were able to resist them. This and the news that the other party had 
failed to take Sunbury influenced them to return. They burned many 
houses on the way, and destroyed quantities of rice and grain, besides 
taking with them all the negroes, horses, cattle, and everything of value 
they could carry. 



1779 THE WAR IN THE SOUTH. 125 



10. Savannah.— When the British fleet arrived at the 
Dec 29 ^^^^^ ^f *^® Savannah river, the troops landed 

1778 



and marched toward Savannah, which was de- 



fended by about nine hundred men. General Rob- 
ert Howe commanded this small body of Americans. They 
could not stand before the numbers brought against them, 
and the capital of Georgia fell into the hands of the Brit- 
ish, December 29, 1778. Campbell offered protection to the 
people on condition that they would join the king's army. 
Many who refused to obey his orders were sent on board 
prison ships, where they died of contagious diseases. 



CHAPTER VI. 
1779. 



1. Sunbury. — In January, a short time after the sur- 
Jan ^^^^d^r of Savannah, General Prevost captured the 

fort at Sunbury, in Georgia. He then went to Sa- 
• vannah and took command of the British forces 
there. 

2. The War at the South.—When D'Estaing's ships 
were made ready for the sea again, he sailed for the West 
Indies. The British fleet moved to the South. 

3. General Lincoln.— General Lincoln, from Massa- 
chusetts, was then placed in command of the American 
army in the Southern States. He stationed his forces in 
South Carolina, and prepared to meet the British. 

4. Tories. — General Prevost took possession of the 
greater part of Georgia, and established posts at Ebenezer 
and Augusta.* The British had hoped to be joined by the 
Tories in the South. They expected by that means greatly 

» Nancy Hart. — A story has been told of Nancy Hart, who lived in 
Elbert county, Ga. She was a rough, ignorant woman, but she loved the 
cause of liberty, and did all she could to aid the men who were fighting 



126 mStOtlY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1779 

to increase their strength. Agents were sent throughout 
the country, and several hundred Tories were collected at 
Ninety-six, a fort in the upper part of South Carolina. 
They were men of the worst character, who went about 
plundering and robbing the people.*' 

5. Battle of Briar Creek. — General Lincoln sent Gen- 
Marrh S ®^^^ Ashe, with two thousand men, to attack the 

enemy in Georgia. They were surprised and 
routed by General Prevost, at Briar Creek, where 
they lost four-fifths of their number. 

6. British Movements in the North.— The British 
j^^Q did nothing of importance at the North this year. 

General Tryon led a raiding party into Connecti- 
cut, who committed many outrages and burned several 
towns." General Clinton went up the Hudson river, and 

for independence. Once a party of men from the British camp at Au- 
gusta turned into the road that led to Nancy's house. One of them shot 
a turkey in the yard and ordered her to make them a meal of it. 

Although unwilling to serve them, she concluded to begin the cooking. 
She sent her daughter, Sukey, a girl of twelve years, to the spring for a 
bucket of water. The spring was not far from the swamp, and Sukey 
blew the conch shell, which lay on a stump near by, to give warning to 
her father and others concealed there. 

When Nancy placed the smoking dinner on the table, the men stacked 
their guns and sat down to eat. While they were busy at their dinner, 
Nancy managed to hand two of the guns, through a crack between the 
logs, to her husband. They discovered her as she was slipping the third 
one outside. As they sprang up to stop her, she turned and threatened to 
kill the first man who moved toward her. One of them stepped forward 
and she fired. The next instant, he had fallen dead at her feet. Her 
husband and his companions seized the remaining four Tories and hanged 
them upon a tree in the neighboring swamp. 

^Battle of Kettle Creek.— This force of Tories was ordered to march 
to Savannah, but, in Wilkes county, Georgia, they were met by Colonel 
Pickens and Colonel Clarke, with their militia. A battle was fought at 
that place, February 14, 1779, in which the Tories were defeated and scat- 
tered. 

^General Tryon, who had been the royal governor of Connecticut, 



17T9 SIEGE OF SAVANNAH. l2t 

suffered heavily. They failed to accomplish anything, and 
captured the forts at Stony Point and Verplank's Point. 
Within a few weeks, General Wayne had retaken Stony 
Point,** and General Harry Lee had surprised the British 
at PaulusHook,^ and had established himself in command. 
7. Siege of Savannah. — The French fleet, with six 
Q X q thousand French soldiers, left the West Indies, and 
' reached Savannah in September, 1779. There was 
an understanding between General Lincoln and 
Count D'Estaing that they should approach the town at the 
same time, from different directions. Lincoln's army 
marched from South Carolina, and the French force landed 
below Savannah. The siege had lasted a month, when 
Count D'Estaing sent a message to General Prevost, demand- 
ing the surrender of the town. This was refused, and an 
attack was made in which both French and Americans 

went to Horse Shoe Neck, in this State. Besides destroying the salt works 
there, his soldiers damaged the place in every possible way. General 
Putnam was there with a small body of men ; he escaped being cap- 
tured by riding his horse down a steep, sloping rock, whither the enemy 
were afraid to follow. General Tryon made a second visit to Connecticut ; 
he then burned a portion of New Haven and other towns. 

In May, a body of two thousand British arrived at Norfolk and Ports- 
mouth, Va. After burning houses and destroying property, they car- 
ried off three thousand hogsheads of tobacco. 

•^Stony Point was an important place, on the Hudson, north of New 
York city. General Wayne took command of an expedition for the pur- 
pose of driving away its British captors. The attack was made at mid- 
night, July 15, with fixed bayonets and from opposite sides of the fort. 
Although General Wayne's men advanced against a furious fire of mus- 
kets, they succeeded in reaching the inside of the fortifications. The 
garrison surrendered, after a loss of 60 killed and 540 prisoners. The 
Americans had 15 killed and 80 wounded. 

^A few days after the capture of Stony Point, Major Henry Lee, often 
called '*Light Horse Harry Lee," undertook the task of surprising the 
British forces at Paulus Hook, now Jersey City. This he succeeded in do- 
ing at night, July 19, and his reward was 150 prisoners. 



128 HISTORY OF THE tJNITED STATES. 1779 

lost in killed and wounded nearly one thousand men ; 
among them was the brave Count Pulaski. Sergeant Jas- 
per, the gallant hero of Fort Moultrie, also fell while try- 
ing again to rescue the flag of South Carolina. 

The French fleet sailed back to France, and General Lin- 
coln returned to Carolina. This failure made many hearts 
sad in all the States, but was nowhere felt so deeply as in 
Georgia, where the inhabitants were completely in the 
power of the enemy, and where parties of armed men 
passed through the country, robbing and driving off cattle 
and slaves. 

18. Paul Jones. — In September of this year, Paul 
q X Jones, a Scotchman, who commanded a squadron 
*' that had been prepared by the American commis- 
' * sioners at Paris, engaged in battle with a fleet of 
English merchant vessels on the coast of England, near 
Flamborough Head. His ship, the "Bon Homme Richard," 
(bo-no'm-re-sha'r) (good man Richard), met the British ship 
" Serapis," which sailed toward the American squadron. 
After fighting awhile at the distance of musket shot, the 
'' Richard " moved to the side of the " Serapis," and Jones 
fastened its anchor to his own vessel, so that the large guns 
of the enemy might not be used against him. In this position, 
with their guns touching each other, the fighting contin- 
ued two hours. Both ships had been on fire several times, 
when the " Alliance," one of the vessels belonging to his 
squadron, came to his assistance. The first gun had been 
fired about seven o'clock in the evening, and at ten the 
" Serapis " surrendered. Jones had only time to place his 
men upon the captured ship before the " Richard " sunk 
out of sight. The other English vessels also fell into his 
hands. This was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought 
upon the sea. Three hundred of the three hundred and 
seventy-five men on the " Richard " were killed or 
wounded. 



It 80 WASHINGTON IN WINTER QUARTERS. 129 

19. The Close of 1779.— When the year closed, the 
enemy were in possession of the greater part of Georgia, 
but they could boast of success at no other place. Their 
forces had been withdrawn from Rhode Island, and they 
had given up Stony Point, leaving the whole North free, 
except a small portion of New York and a part of New Eng- 
land, east of the Penobscot. Still the Americans had much 
to discourage them. France had not helped them as they had 
hoped she would, although Spain had joined the alliance 
this year. The Continental money had fallen in value un- 
til thirty dollars equaled only one dollar in other money, 
and they had no credit to enable them to borrow what they 
needed. The army was sadly diminished, and Parliament 
had voted to send out eighty-five thousand seamen, and to 
add thirty-five thousand to the British army on land. 

20. Washington in Winter Quarters— General 
Washington selected Morristown, New Jersey, for his win- 
ter quarters. The winter began early, and was one of the 
coldest ever known in this country. During three months, 
the snow lay four feet deep on the ground. The army suf- 
fered for the want of blankets and clothing. Many times 
they were without meat several days at a time. They kept 
themselves from freezing by building large fires throughout 
the camp. They endured their hardships nobly and pa- 
tiently, determined never to give up. 



CHAPTER VII. 

1780. 

1. South Carolina. — With this year, came days of trial 
for South Carolina. The British army spread itself from 
the coast over the best parts of the State, and ruin and sor- 



130 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1780 

row followed its footsteps. Fathers and brothers who would 
not join the royal army were killed as outlaws in their 
own houses, and women and children fled from their burn- 
ing homes with no shelter but the forest before them. In 
the southern part of the State, there were more negroes 
than white men, and the danger from them was very great, 
while in the up-country were numbers of men who had 
been living in Carolina but a short time, and who were 
firmly attached to the king. These Tories and the Indians 
were a constant source of danger, yet General Lincoln had 
but a small force to bring against them while he tried to 
keep back the threatening foe from the sea. 

2. Charleston.— After the French fleet left the United 
Mav 12 ^^^^®^> ^^^ Henry Clinton sailed from New York 

1780 ' with a large force toward Charleston, South Car- 
olina. As he had failed to take the city, in 1776, 
he determined to lead this attack in person. General Lin- 
coln did everything that could be done to strengthen the 
fortifications of the city. Fifteen hundred reinforcements 
from Virginia and North Carolina came to assist him. 
Clinton's ships passed Fort Moultrie and his army landed 
on the western bank of the Ashley river. Afterward, he 
crossed the Ashley above Charleston, and erected lines of 
earth-works beyond the city between the two rivers. The 
city was soon completely surrounded by the enemy. Gene- 
ral Clinton sent portions of his force in different directions 
to drive back any bodies of militia that might attempt to 
aid General Lincoln. The siege continued eight weeks. 
At the end of that time, there was still no hope of help, and 
there was not meat enough to last a week. General Lin- 
coln then surrendered his whole army of five thousand 
men and the citizens of Charleston as prisoners of war. 

3. Conquest of South Carolina. — After the surrender 



1780 PARTIZAN LEADERS. 131 

of Charleston, General Clinton sent out his forces to take 
possession of other portions of the State. One division, 
under Lord Cornwallis, went towards Camden; another, 
under Colonel Cruger, toward Ninety-Six; and a third, 
under Colonel Brown, to Augusta. All the important 
places were soon in their possession. 

4. Clinton's Proclamation.— Sir Henry Clinton pub- 
lished, to the people of Carolina, an offer of pardon to all 
who would place themselves under the protection of his 
government. Because many felt compelled to accept this 
ofier, he thought his work as a conqueror in that State was 
done, and, leaving the command with Lord Cornwallis, he 
returned to New York, 

5. Partizan Leaders.— Much of the warfare after this 
was carried on under the leadership of the partizans — Sum- 
ter,* ^ Marion," Lee, and others. These small bands of woods- 

a Colonel Sumter.— A large number of the people fled to North Caro- 
lina. Among them was Colonel Sumter, who had commanded a Conti- 
nental regiment. A body of these refugees chose him for their leader 
and, in the summer of 1780, they returned to their native State to oppose 
the invaders. Their weapons were made from farm implements by coun- 
try blacksmiths, and their bullets were moulded of the pewter obtained 
from private houses. Sometimes they went into battle when there were 
only three rounds of shot and powder to a man. Often some of them, 
unarmed, stood at a safe distance behind the others until some of the 
foremost were killed waiting to step into the broken ranks and take the 
arms of those who had fallea. Men flocked to Sumter and his number 
soon reached six hundred. 

* Williams' Plantation. —One of Sumter's first engagements with 
the British and Tories was in the upper part of South Carolina, at Wil- 
liams' Plantation, near Fishing Creek. The British were in a lane, and 
Colonel Sumter's force of 133 had separated and entered from opposite 
ends of the lane at the same time. By this sudden attack, the British 
were surprised and completely routed. When Sumter arrived, he had 
found the women of the place on their knees begging the British 
captain to save their children and their property. 

"General Francis Maripij (ma'r-e-on), who had been wounded during 



132 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1780 

men kept the British general annoyed by unexpected at- 
tacks upon his foraging parties, and by the capture of sup- 
plies on the way from Charleston to military posts farther 
inland. Sumter and Lee fought around Camden and Nine- 
ty-Six, while Marion watched the valleys of the Santee and 
the Pedee. 

6. General Gates, of Virginia, was appointed by Con- 
gress to take command of the southern forces after General 
Lincoln's surrender. Baron DeKalb had been sent with 
reinforcements from Washington to Lincoln, but, hearing of 
the fall of Charleston, had waited at Deep river, in North 
Carolina, for further orders. When General Gates arrived, 
all of the army marched forward into South Carolina. 

7. The Battle of Sanders Creek.— There were British 
» -J p garrisons at Augusta, Georgia, and at Ninety-Six, 

^ ^orv ' and Camden in South Carolina ; but Camden was 
the most important place, and General Gates ad- 
vanced toward that fort. Cornwallis hurried from Charleston 
to join Lord Rowdon at Camden, and to meet General Gates. 
A battle was fought at Sanders Creek, eight miles from Cam- 
den, in which General Gates was defeated, and Baron DeKalb 
was killed. The American army lost one thousand men, 

the siege of Charleston, went to North Carolina ; and, as General Gates' 
army moved forward toward Camden, he, with a band of sixteen men, 
went to the banks of the Santee. There he captured a body of British 
troops, and released some of the American prisoners who had been taken 
at Sanders Creek, and who were on their way to Charleston. The men of 
the country joined him as he passed on. In order to supply them with 
arms, he had to take the saws of saw-mills and have them made into 
swords. Sometimes he commanded only 70 men, and at one time he had 
lost all but 25. The enemy, wishing to influence his followers to 
leave him, burned the houses of those who were supposed to be with him. 
This only made the people more determined, and added many reinforce- 
ments to his ranks. For months he and his men slept in the open air, and 
found shelter in the swamps. From these hiding places they rode out 
and surprised the enemy. The British called him the *' Swamp Fox." 



1780 PROCLAMATION BY CORNWALLIS. 133 

killed, wounded and captured, with all of its artillery and two 
hundred wagons. The British loss in killed and wounded 
was about three hundred. After this defeat, General Gates 
withdrew to Hillsborough, in North Carolina. 

8. Sumter's Defeat. — Just before this battle. Colonel 
Sumter had captured a party of British soldiers who were 
carrying clothing and ammunition to Camden, but hearing 
of General Gates' defeat, he retreated along the south side 
of the Wateree. Colonel Tarleton's force, sent by Lord 
Cornwallis, soon reached his camp. His men had been 
marching without provisions and without sleep, and 
while they were resting on the bank of the river, the 
British succeeded in surprising and routing them. The 
three hundred prisoners and the stores that he had captured 
were retaken, and his whole force was compelled to surren- 
der. 

9. Proclamation by Cornwallis. — After these disas- 
ters, the invaders supposed there would be no further 
resistance by the people of South Carolina, and Lord Corn- 
wallis sent out a proclamation declaring that all who had 
done anything to help the rebel cause should be imprisoned 
and should lose all their property ; and that any man who 
had once been in the royal army, and had afterward joined 
the rebels, should be hung. Many men were taken from 
the prisons and hanged without trial, according to this 
order. 

10. Battle of King's Mountain. — Cornwallis sent Col- 

onel Tarleton to hold the country east of the 
' * Catawba river, and Major Ferguson to gather to- 
gether the Tories of the mountainous districts. With 
eleven hundred British and Tories, Ferguson encamped on 
King's Mountain, near the North Carolina line, and from 
that safe position he believed he could not be driven. The 
Whigs became indignant at his cruel treatment, and enlisted 



134 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1780 

a force from the mountains of Georgia and Carolina to at- 
tack him. This force was joined by companies of militia 
from North Carolina and Virginia, and commanded by Col- 
onel Campbell, of Virginia. The Americans approached 
from opposite sides of the mountain, and, after a short but 
bloody fight, captured the whole of Major Furguson's force. 
Ten of the prisoners, who had been noted as house-burners 
and murderers, were hanged. 

11. Movements of Cornwallis. — A few weeks 
after the battle near Camden, Lord Cornwallis moved his 
army to Charlotte. He had believed that the defeat of Gates 
and Sumter would make the whole State submit to his arms, 
and that he could march victoriously through North Caro- 
lina and Virginia; but the success of the Americans at 
King's Mountain compelled him to change his plans, and 
his next movement was a retreat to Winnsboro', in South 
Carolina. 

12. England's Condition. — The people of England 
were growing weary of this war, which had brought no fruits 
of success, and which was adding to the public debt every 
day. British cruisers had been abroad on the seas, capturing 
every vessel that came within their reach. No flag was 
respected ; the commerce of every nation suffered from their 
depredations, but none felt it so seriously as Holland. In 
consequence of these losses, Holland joined the alliance with 
France and Spain against England. Early in 1780, Russia, 
Sweden, and Denmark formed a compact, called the "Armed 
Neutrality," in which each agreed to aid in raising a fleet 
for the protection of the commerce of neutral powers, against 
the injustice of Great Britain. This, in addition to the 
continued siege of Gibraltar, only multiplied trouble for 
England, and compelled her to divide her strength to meet 
the war in America on the one hand, and the war in Europe 

. on the other. 



1780 ARNOLD'S TREASON. 135 

13. Fishdam Ferry. — Cornwallis was so much annoyed 

by Sumter that he sent a body of men, under 
^JLq ' Major Wemys (wemz), to drive him back. The 

attack was made at Fishdam, on Broad river. 
Major Wemys was taken prisoner ; all his command, who 
were not killed or captured, withdrew towards the main 
army. 

14. Return of the French Fleet.— LaFayette had re- 

turned to France, and, during the winter of 1779- 
178o' ^^' w^^^^ ^® spent there, he had used his influence 

with the king to have another fleet manned and 
fitted out for America. It arrived, in July, with six thou- 
sand men, and anchored at Newport, Rhode Island, until 
the movements of the army should call for its assistance. 

15. Arnold's Treason- General Benedict Arnold, a 
man so often distinguished for his bravery during the war, 
had been placed in command at Philadelphia after its evac- 
uation by the British, in 1778. There he lived in an extrav- 
agant style, lost heavily by gambling, and used the public 
money as his own. The court-martial which tried him 
sentenced him to be reproved by the commander-in-chief of 
the army. Arnold's desire for money, and for revenge, led 
him to sell his honor and betray his country. He accord- 
ingly made his wounds an excuse for not moving with the 
army, but he asked General Washington for the command of 
the strong fort at West Point, which was of great importance 
to both armies. He at once began a correspondence with 
General Clinton, in which he promised to give the Brit- 
ish possession of West Point. In return, he was to receive 
ten thousand pounds and the rank and salary of a brigadier 
general. To make the contract sure, he insisted that a Brit- 
ish officer should meet him in person. Major Andre (a'n- 
dray) was sent up the Hudson in a boat with a flag of truce. 

16. Andrews Capture. — Andr6 landed at night. 



136 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. itSO 

Arnold met him and took him within the lines, 
^^7^*0 ^^ ^ house at a short distance from the river. Be- 
fore he returned, the boat was fired upon by the 
Americans, and was compelled to go farther down the river. 
For this reason, Andre had to return through the country 
to New York. On the way, near Tarrytown, he was cap- 
tured by a party of American soldiers, who searched his 
clothing and found papers concealed in his boots. Among 
them was a plan of the fortifications of West Point and a 
description, in Arnold's handwriting, of its surroundings, 
with an account of the strength of the garrison, the guns 
and stores. They took him and his papers to Colonel Jame- 
son, the commandant at New Castle. Andre was allowed 
to write to Arnold and inform him of his capture. This 
gave Arnold time to escape to the boat that was to have car- 
ried Andre to New York. Washington made preparations, 
at once, to retain the fort, and to prevent it from falling into 
the hands of the British. 

Andre' was tried by a court-martial and sentenced to be 
hanged as a spy. 

17. Arnold's Reward. — Arnold received the price he 
had asked ; but his gold and his rank brought him no hap- 
piness — no good. He was despised by the people of Eng- 
land, and hated by those of the United States. He died in 
London, in 1801, without friends and without the glory or 
the riches he had stooped so low to gain. His memory will 
always be coupled with dishonor and reproach. 

18. General Greene. — In December, 1780, General 
Nathaniel Greene, a native of Rhode Island, was appointed 
to succeed General Gates in command of the Southern army, 
which had moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. The force 
he came to command, numbered about nineteen hundred 
men, and was made up of those who had passed through the 
battle of Camden. Congress had no money with which to 



1781 GENERAL GREENE IN CAROLINA. 137 

pay them, and they were without clothes at the beginning 
of the winter." The British army of regulars, that he was 
to fight, was large in numbers and well provided with sup- 
plies. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

1781. 

1. General Greene in Carolina.— General Greene 
sent a part of his command, under General Morgan, to the 
western part of South Carolina, while he marched with the 
main army to the north side of the Pedee, opposite Cheraw 
Hill. Both movements were made to thwart the plans of 
Cornwallis, who was preparing to move back to North Car- 
olina. 

2. Battle of the Cowpens.— Cornwallis sent Colonel 

Tarleton, with a thousand men, to drive General 
^«<^-| ' Morgan back and to prevent the men through- 
out that part of the State from joining him. 
Tarleton reached the ground, which Morgan had chosen, 
January 17, and made the attack; but he was defeated 
with great loss. This engagement has been known as the 
battle of the Cowpens.* 

*About this time, Robert Morris, a wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, 
was appointed by Congress as the agent for the finances, or money, of the 
country. His management did much toward supplying the needs of the 
soldiers. Congress taxed the States, and borrowed money from Europe. 
Societies for the relief of the men in the army were formed by the women 
in Philadelphia ; clothing made by their own fingers were sent to the des- 
titute regiments at Morristown. 

» In South Carolina, the grass of the forest afforded pasture for cattle 
nearly all the year, and they roamed through the woods, without much 
attention from their owners. In the fall, they were driven into large en- 
closures, to be kept during the winter. Then each man could claim and 
10 



138 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1781 

3. Greene's Retreat. — General Morgan thought that 
Cornwallis would send a large force against him, and 
he began to move toward the northeast, so as to cross the 
Catawba before the enemy could arrive. Both armies 
marched in the same direction, and at the rate of thirty 
miles a day. The British followed so closely that they en- 
camped on the bank of the Catawba in the evening, after 
the Americans had crossed in the morning. A heavy rain 
which fell during the night, raised the waters, and they 
could not pass over to continue the pursuit. 

After some delay, the enemy reached the Yadkin ; they 
found Morgan on the opposite side, with the boats in which 
he had crossed, fastened to the other bank. The Americans 
gained time to unite the two divisions of the army, and Gen- 
eral Greene continued the retreat as far as the Dan river, in 
Virginia. Cornwallis then changed his plans, and returned 
to Hillsboro, North Carolina. 

4. Battle of Guilford Courthouse. — New enlistments 

, w^ and reinforcements increased Greene's army to 
March 15 

' nearly five thousand men, and he marched back 

to North Carolina. The two armies met at 

Guilford Courthouse, where a desperate battle was fought, 

after which General Greene again retreated. Cornwallis 

was so much weakened that, in a few days, he moved his 

army to Wilmington, North Carolina. From that place he 

mark his own. Morgan had encamped a short distance from the Cow- 
pens, near the boundary of North Carolina, and from these the battle 
took its name. 

In January, Arnold with a British force invaded Virginia. He moved 
up the James river and destroyed a large amount of property. He after- 
ward fortified Portsmouth. Washington sent LaFayette with a body of 
men to Virginia to capture the traitor ; the French fleet at Newport was 
also ordered southward to assist him. The British ships drove back the 
French fleet, and it sailed to Rhode Island. Arnold changed his position; 
consequently, Washington's plans were not carried out. 



1781 BATTLE OF HOBKIRK'S HILL. 139 

moved on to Petersburg to join the British forces there for 
the conquest of Virginia, Lord Rawdon was left in com- 
mand in South Carolina. This gave General Greene pos- 
session of all of North Carolina but Wilmington, and all 
the upper portion of South Carolina, except that held by 
Lord Rawdon at Camden. 

5. Work for Marion, Sumter and Others.— The 
British now held a part of South Carolina by occupy- 
ing the forts at Augusta, Ninety-Six, and Camden. In the 
spring. General Greene sent Lee and Marion to cut off the 
supplies sent from Charleston to Camden. Sumter was or- 
dered to keep the country free of British troops between 
Camden and Ninety-Six, while Pickens went to stop supplies 
from passing between Ninety-Six and Augusta. All this 
they accomplished before the beginning of the summer 
months. 

6. Battle of Hobkirk's Hill.—General Greene moved 

in pursuit of Cornwallis as far as Hobkirk's Hill, 
1 7^81 ' ^^^^^ "^^^ about a mile from Camden, and Lord 

Rawdon attacked him there. For awhile the 
Americans seemed to have the advantage, but afterwards 
they were compelled to retreat, with a loss of two hundred 
in killed and wounded. The British lost about the same 
number. 

7. Wright's Bluff. — Lee and Marion succeeded in 

taking the fort at Wright's Bluff on the Santee> 
^^^\^ ' t^6 ^ost important British post below Camden. 
• As there could no longer be any direct commu- 
nication between Camden and Charleston after the surren- 
der of this fort. Lord Rawdon left Camden and moved to 
Eutaw Springs. This left but three posts in South Carolina 
in the hands of the British — Ninety-Six, Eutaw Springs, 
and Charleston. 

8. Ninety-Six. — In May, General Greene began the 



140 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1781 

siege of the strongly-fortified post at Ninety-Six, 
1781 ^^^^ ^^ Colonel Cruger. His forces had been 

stationed there four weeks, when General Greene 
heard that Lord Rawdon was coming with reinforcements, 
and he determined to make an attack on the place. One- 
third of the men who made the charge were killed, and the 
others were driven back. General Greene then retreated. 
Lord Rawdon pursued him some distance, but concluded to 
return to Orangeburg. A short time afterward, Ninety-Six 
was evacuated and the Americans took possession. 

9. Greene Among the Hills. — After Rawdon's re- 
treat, General Greene sent his main army to spend the 
sickly part of the summer among the hills of the San tee; 
and Lord Rawdon left his forces to be directed by Colonel 
Stewart, who had arrived from Charleston. 

10. Battle of Eutaw Springs.,— The early days of 

September found General Greene moving against 
1 ^nji *^® enemy again. Colonel Stewart, who com- 
manded the British, retreated to Eutaw Springs. 
General Greene advanced and made the attack, which was 
at first successful; but, after the battle had progressed for 
several hours, he saw that he was fighting at great disad- 
vantage and drew off his forces. During the night after the 
battle, Stewart's army left Eutaw Springs, and soon after- 
ward retreated to Charleston. 

11. Close of the Campaign in Carolina.— This 
was the last battle fought in South Carolina, and it ended 
Greene's campaign. He had succeeded in driving the enemy 

Augusta.— General Pickens and Colonel Clark, with a force of 
militia, besieged Augusta, and early in June, Colonel Brown, 
June 5, ^2^^ ^^^ ^^ command, surrendered the fort. Though he had 
recently hung thirteen American prisoners, and had encour- 
aged the Indians to torture others, he was furnished with a guard aad 
sent to Savannah, 



1781 THE CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA. 141 

from every part of North Carolina, South Carolina and 
Georgia, except Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah. 
His army encamped in the low country, near Charleston. 
Their clothes were worn to rags, and they were almost en- 
tirely without meat and without money. They were ex- 
posed to the burning heat of the sun all day, and to the 
poisonous airs of the night while they slept. Yet the 
greater part of them submitted to all their sufferings and 
privations with a ^'patience that was never excelled by any 
army in the world." 

THE CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA. 

12. Cornwallis in Virginia.— When Cornwallis 
reached Petersburg, he took command of all the British 
troops there, and Arnold was sent back to New York. La- 
Fayette's force, which had been defending Virginia, was in- 
creased, but he could do little to oppose the large numbers 
of the enemy, and Cornwallis plundered the people and de- 
stroyed large amounts of property. 

13. Yorktown. — In obedience to orders from Sir Henry 
Clinton, Cornwallis moved to Yorktown, on the Chesapeake 
Bay, and built fortifications. Clinton feared an attack from 
General Washington at New York ; for that reason, a posi- 
tion on the seacoast was selected, that Cornwallis might be 
able to go to assist him if necessary. Washington's move- 
ments had deceived Clinton ; he was really preparing to 
move southward. 

14. Surrender of Cornwallis.— When every part of 
Oct 19 ^^^ plsLU had been completed. General Washington 

started back to Virginia. His army and a French 

■*-'^ force under Count Rochambeau, (ro-shong-bo), 

reached Yorktown about the last of September. The French 

fleet, which had been lying in the harbor of Newport, Rhode 



142 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1782 

Island, ready to attack New York, was sent to the Chesa- 
peake Bay. By these movements, the British were entirely 
surrounded. There could be no escape through the York or 
James river, and their retreat by land could be cut off in any 
direction by the Americans and the French. 

The British fleet came from New York to aid Cornwallis. 
Count de Grasse, the French commander, ordered his ships 
in line of battle, and his guns did so much injury to the 
English vessels that they returned to New York. 

After besieging the town three weeks, with sixteen thou- 
sand French and Americans, Washington opened a cannon- 
ade from one hundred cannons. The British fortifications 
were soon broken, and their guns so disabled that they 
could not be used. Cornwallis tried to make his escape by 
crossing the York river to Glouster Point (gFos-ter), intend- 
ing to fight his way through at that place. A storm scat- 
tered his boats, and compelled him to give up the attempt. 
After losing five hundred men, and after being convinced 
that there was no hope for help, Cornwallis surrendered his 
whole force, of more than seven thousand men, to General 
Washington, October 19, 1781. 

15. Close of the War.— This victory really closed the 
war. The news reached Philadelphia in the night. A 
watchman on the street called out : " Twelve o'clock, and 
a cloudy morning — Cornwallis is taken / " This soon aroused 
the whole city, and the cry was repeated at every corner. 
The people from Maine to Georgia were happy with the 
hope of peace. British troops remained in New York, 
Charleston, and Savannah, but there were no other great 
battles fought. 

16. England Desires Peace.— Some of the mem- 
1^ bers of Parliament began to speak of plans for 
1 7S2 closing the war. Commissioners from England 

and from the United States pact in Paris to 



1783 THE ARMY DISBANDED. 143 

agree upon terms of peace. The United States sent John 
Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Henry Laurens. 

17. The Treaty of Paris.— Nearly twelve months 
Sent 3 Passed before a final settlement could be made. 

^ ' "^^^ Treaty of Paris was signed September 3, 
1783. Great Britain acknowledged the inde- 
pendence of the United States, and it was agreed that the 
boundary of the new republic should extend to the great 
lakes on the north, and to the Mississippi on the west. 
Florida was returned to Spain. 

18. The Army Disbanded.— Before the close of 
Dec 4 *^® ysar, the army was disbanded, and the brave 

' ' men, who had been so long exposed to hardships 
and want, were allowed to go back to their 
homes. The British soldiers had all sailed for England. 
After a tender parting from his officers. General Washing- 
ton went to Annapolis, where Congress was then holding 
its session, and resigned his commission as commander-in- 
chief. He then returned to his home, at Mt. Vernon, to 
enjoy the peace and quiet which had rewarded his labor. 

The Northwest Territory.— The country lying northwest of the 
Ohio river belonged to several of the States, because it had been 
included in their charters. The greater part was owned by Vir- 
ginia. After the close of the war, Virginia and the other States ceded it 
to the government to become the common property of all. Congress 
organized for this region a territorial government, and named it the 
Northwest Territory. The Northwestern States have since been formed 
from this territory. 



144 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



PRINCIPAL BATTLES OF THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION. 



Battles, 



Successful Army, 



Lexington .... 
Bunker HiU. 



COMMANDERS. 

American. English. 

1775. 

Parker I Smith, Pitcairn i American. 

Prescott I Howe, Clinton British. 



Fort Moultrie 

Long Island 

White Plains 

Fort Washington 
Trenton 



Moultrie- 
Putnam 

McDougall. 

Magaw 

Washing'n. 



1776. 

Clinton and Sir Pe- 



ter Parker... 
Howe, Clinton. 

Howe 

Howe 

Rahl 



1777. 



Princeton 

Bennington .. 
Brandywine . 

Stillwater 

Saratoga 

Germantown. 



Washing'n 

Stark 

Washing'n 

Gates 

Gates 

Wash'ton... 



Baum 

Howe 

Burgoyne. 
Burgoyne. 
Howe 



American. 

British. 

British. 

British. 

American. 



American. 

American. 

British. 

Not decisive 

American. 

British. 



1778. 



♦ Monmouth IWash'ton.. l Clinton i Not decisive 

Savannah | Robt.Howe 1 Campbell I British. 



1779. 



Lane 

Pickens .... 
Henry Lee. 
Attack on Savan'ah ' Lincoln 



Sunbury 

Kettle Creek. 
Paulus Hook. 



Prevost. 
Boyd ... 



Prevost. 



1780. 



Charleston 

Sanders Creek.... 
King's Mountain. 



Lincoln 

Gates 

Campbell... 



Clinton 

Cornwallis. 
Ferguson... 



1781. 



Cowpens 

Guilford C. H... 
Hobkirk's Hill... 

Ninety-Six 

Eutaw Springs... 
Yorktown 



Morgan 

Greene 

Greene 

Greene 

Greene 

Washi'ton, 
DeGrasse... 



Tarleton 

Cornwallis 

Rawdon 

Colonel Cruger.. 
Colonel Stewart. 
Cornwallis 



British. 
American. 
American. 
British. 



British. 
British. 
American. 



American. 

British. 

British. 

British. 

Not decisive 

American. 



REVIEW OE IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



145 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



British King. 
George III. 

1765. 
1768. 
1770. 
1773. 
1774. 
1774. 
1775. 

1776. 



1777. 



1778. 



1779. 



1780. 



1781. 



1783. 



The first Colonial Congress met. 

British troops were sent to Boston. 

The Boston Massacre. 

The Boston tea-party. 

The Boston Port Bill was passed. 

Che first Continental Congress met. 

Battle of Bunker Hill. 

The second Continental Congress met. 

Boston was evacuated. 

Battle of Fort Moultrie, Charleston, S. C. 

Declaration of Independence signed. 

Battle of Long Island. Battle of White Plains. 

Fort Washington was taken by the British. 

Washington retreated through New Jersey. 

Washington recrossed the Delaware and attacked 
the British. Rhode Island was invaded. 

Battle of Princeton. Battle of Chad's Ford. 

Fall of Philadelphia. Battle of Bennington. 

Battle of Stillwater. Battle of Saratoga. 

Burgoyne's surrender. Battle of Germantown. 

Forts Mifflin and Mercer surrendered. 

Articles of Confederation were prepared. 

The French alliance was formed. 

Peace commissioners were sent from Great Bri- 
tain. 

Philadelphia was evacuated. 

Battle of Monmouth. Battle of Quaker Hill. 

Fall of Savannah. 

Sunbury, Ga., was taken by the British. 

Battle of Kettle Creek. Battle of Briar Creek. 

Paulus Hook was captured. 

Count D'Estaing besieged Savannah. 

Fall of Charleston, S. C. Battle of Sanders Creek. 

Battle of King's Mountain. 

A.rnold's treason. Andres capture. 

General Greene was assigned to the chief com- 
mand in the South. 

Battle of Cowpens. Battle of Guilford Courthouse. 

Battle of Hobkirk's Hill. Ninety-Six was evacu- 



ated. 
Rattle of Eutaw Springs. 
Oornwallis surrendered. 
The Treaty of Paris closed the war 
The army was disbanded. 



Battle of Yorktown. 



11 



146 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW. 

1. State the causes of the Revolutionary War. 

2. Give an account of the Boston Port Bill. 

3. Describe the battle of Lexington and tell its effects. 

4. Why was Georgia the last to send delegates to the Continental 

Congress ? 

5. Give a sketch of the life and character of General Washington. 

6. Give an account of the invasion of Canada. 

7. What led to the evacuation of Boston? 

8. Give the history of the battle of Fort Moultrie. 

9. When was the Declaration of Independence completed and 

signed ? 

10. Describe the retreat of the Americans after the battle of Long 

Island. 

11. Give an account of the battle of Trenton. 

12. State the movements of General Washington during 1777. 

13. Give the history of Burgoyne's invasion and its results. 

14. What assistance was given by France ? 

15. What was the condition of the army at Valley Forge ? 

16. Give the history of 1778. 

17. Describe the siege of Savannah. 

18. What was the situation at the close of 1779? 

19. Tell the circumstances attending the conquest of South Car- 

olina. 

20. Who were the partizan leaders in South Carolina ? 

21. What did they accomplish? 

22. What battles were fought under General Gates' direction? 

23. Give the history of Arnold's treason. 

24. Describe General Greene's movements, and name the principal 

battles he fought. 



BOOKS OF REFERENCE— SECTION IV. 

Bancroft's "History of the United States;" Botta's " History of 
the Revolution;" Irving's "Life of Washington;" Headley's "Wash- 
ington and his Generals;" Wirt's " Life of Patrick Henry ;" Long- 
fellow's "Paul Revier's Ride;" Parton's " Life of Benjamin Frank- 
lin;" Watson's " Campfires of the Revolution;" Headley's "Life 
of LaFayette;" Hartley's "Life of Marion;" Graham's "Life of 
Morgan." 



1790 THE CLOSE OP THE REVOLUTION. 147 



ADVANCEMENT OF THE COLONIES. 



1. Differences in Religion, Etc.— When the in- 
dependence of the colonies was first established, there was a 
marked difference between the sections in race, religion, and 
customs. The stern laws of the Paritans made New Eng- 
land very unlike Virginia, where the Cavaliers still held to 
the church of England, and to many aristocratic customs of 
the mother country. The Quakers and the Germans of the 
middle colonies differed almost as widely from the Hugue- 
nots and Cavaliers in the South. Yet they had stood shoul- 
der to shoulder through eight years of struggle for freedom, 
and, in spite of their differences, the common interests of 
the same government and the intercourse of a growing trade 
between the States, were gradually bringing the people to 
be less and less unlike. 

2. Industries. — The majority of the men were em- 
ployed in cultivating their farms. At that time, the soil 
was fresh and rich, and it rewarded their labors with boun- 
tiful harvests. Tobacco paid better than anything else in 
Virginia; every planter's fields were full of it. Georgia and 
the Carolinas shipped large quantities of rice, indigo, tar 
and pitch ; wealth came in return. 

In New England, the farms were small, and the work was 
done by the farmer, his sons and his hired men. There the 
stony soil, covered with snow five months in the year, pro- 
duced only wheat, corn, and potatoes enough for its own 
people. Many of the men left the farms to fish, build ships, 
and become merchants. Some of them made clocks, pails, 
brooms, and other articles, which they peddled through the 
country. On the frontier, hunters and trappers collected 
furs and skins to be sold at the ports for foreign trade. 



148 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1790 

The Southern planter often owned hundreds of acres of 
land — woodlands and cleared fields. His plantation was cul- 
tivated by negro slaves, while he lived a life of ease and 
pleasure. Horse-racing and hunting were his favorite 
sports. Every gentleman kept his hounds and his horses, 
his fishing-rod and gun. His house was large, and he was 
noted for his generous hospitality and his pride of blood. 
In the yard back of the house stood the kitchen. There the 
negro cook prepared the meals at a huge fire-place in ovens, 
skillets and pots. Half a score of servants waited upon the 
family in the master's house. The head nurse for the chil- 
dren was called the "black mammy," who was tenderly 
loved and respected by her young charge. She wore her 
gay bandanna handkerchief tied in a fantastic manner 
around her head. 

3. Growth. — In the Northern colonies, the wilderness 
had fallen before the axeman, and villages dotted here and 
there the former hunting grounds of the red men. Many 
log-cabins of the early settlers had been replaced by better 
buildings of wood or brick. But many of the manufactur- 
ing towns that now flourish along the banks of those north- 
ern streams had not then even a beginning. 

In the South, the clearings were still wide apart, and the 
few towns lay along the seaboard, and were built up by the 
shipping interests of the people. 

4. Travelling. — Roads were few, and none of them, 
good; only narrow streams had been bridged; the rivers 
had to be forded or crossed in ferry-boats. Heavy coaches 
were used by a few of the wealthy families. Riding on 
horseback was the most common means of travelling. When 
a lady left home, she usually rode horseback, seated upon a 
pillion behind her husband or brother. A few mail lines 
had been established ; cumbersome coaches carried the pas- 
sengers. Because one of these mail-coaches made the jour- 



1790 ADVANCEMENT OF THE COI4ONIES. 149 

ney from New York to Philadelphia in two days, it was 
called a '' flying-machine." Schooners were used in going 
from one town to another on the coast and along the rivers. 

5. Furniture. — High-post bedsteads held high feather- 
beds, with long bolsters and small pillows. The sheets were 
of linen or cotton, woven at home, and the quilts of 
gay patchwork were the pride of the house-keeper of that 
day. Tables with large leaves, and heavy sideboards made 
of solid mahogany, were found in the houses of the rich. 
Young ladies learned to play upon the spinet and the harp- 
sichord — popular musical instruments in those days. 

Wherever fires were built, andirons were used to support 
the sticks of wood, and long-handled shovel and tongs were 
kept for handling the fire. Coal had never been seen in 
this country, and stoves were just beginning to be used. 

The old tinder-box was still a necessity. It was a small 
wooden box, divided into two parts. In one side the flint, 
steel, and brimstone matches were kept ; in the other were 
the half-burned linen rags, called tinder. The sparks were 
struck from the steel and flint, or from the flint of a gun, 
and made to fall upon the tinder, which soon began to 
smoke and burn. The end of a brimstone match was then 
touched to the tinder, and a feeble flame was the result. 
These matches were slender pieces of wood, the ends of 
which had been dipped into melted brimstone. 

In most houses, the coals from the wood fire were 'covered 
with ashes at night, so as to be kept until the fire was 
needed the next day. It was not uncommon to send as far 
as half a mile to a neighbor for a '' chunk of fire," if the 
covered coals had gone out during the night. 

The use of gas for lighting came slowly into favor. 
Many opposed it because of the supposed danger connected 
with it. Candles were the main dependence ; they were 
made of tallow, moulded or dipped. The snufiers and 



150 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1790 



snuffer tray were always placed near the candle-stick ; ex- 
pensive ones were of solid silver. Large, branching can- 
delebra were costly ornaments for drawing-rooms, and were 
used on special occasions. 

Oil lamps were a slight improvement on the candles. 
Much care was required to keep them trimmed and filled 
with whale oil. For lighting streets, they remained in use 
many years. 




6. Dress. — In the cit- 
ies, the style of dress had 
changed very much from that of the early colonial days. 
The gentleman of that time wore a three-cornered, cocked 
hat. His hair, always in a cue, was powdered profusely when 
in full dress. His light-colored coat, trimmed with silver 
buttons, his long striped stockings, knee pants, and pointed 



i 



1790 ADVANCEMENT OF THtl COLONIES. I5l 

shoes, with their heavy buckles, made up his gay costume. 
He carried a gold-headed cane and a gold snufif box. The la- 
dies who received him in their drawing-rooms were won- 
derfully tall, with their high heels and lofty head-dresses. 
Over their large hoops, they wore dresses of rich brocade 
and heavy satin petticoats. At receptions and parties, they 
danced the minuet to the music of a violin. 

Linsey and cotton homespun were worn by the common 
people. Both kinds of cloth were made by the women of 
the family. The wool and cotton were first carded, and 
then spun into thread on the spinning wheels ; the thread 
was woven into cloth in the heavy wooden looms, which 
were still in general use throughout the colonies at that 
time. 

7. Education.— The church and the school-house had 
their places in almost every village. In some of the 
wealthier settlements, substantial buildings had been 
erected for church and school, but about the plantations 
there were few. 

In the district schools of New England, the winter term 
of two months was taught by a man, and the summer term 
of the same length by a woman. The teacher, instead of 
boarding, divided the time, from house to house, among the 
parents of the scholars, in proportion to the number of 
children sent from each family. The boys and girls were 
taught to read, write and spell the words in "Dil worth's 
Speller;" they were content with as much knowledge of 
arithmetic as would fit them to keep accounts, make change 
and calculate interest. The fear of the master kept the 
school in working order eight hours every day. 

The "old field school " had sprung up amidst the forests 
of the Southern colonies. Its master taught " the three 
R's — Reading, 'Kiting and 'Rithmetic," in a low log build- 
ing, where the light came in through a square opening in 



152 'HISTORY OE* THE UNITED STATES. 1791 

the wall for a window, and through a long aperture left be- 
tween the logs. Under the last, a broad plank, supported 
by heavy wooden pegs, served for a desk, to be used in turn 
by those who were learning to handle the quill-pen. The 
seats were benches without backs, upon which the young 
learners sat from early morning till the slanting rays of 
the evening sun reminded the teacher that his day's work 
was done. A stout birch rod, always in sight, enforced the 
master's commands. The village common schools were 
somewhat in advance of these, but the books used and the 
teaching done in them were very different from those of 
our own time. 

Printing presses had become more numerous, and their 
publications cheaper. The books were mainly collections 
of sermons or tracts upon political questions. " The Lives 
of the Martyrs," Young's Night Thoughts," " Rollin's An- 
cient History," and Pilgrim's Progress," were read by those 
who cared for books. 

8. Coal. — A discovery was made in 1791, which was of * 
1791 great importance to the people of America. A 

hunter, among the mountains of Pennsylvania, 
stumbled against a piece of black stone. It was unlike any 
he had seen before ; he sent it to Philadelphia, where it 
was examined and pronounced to be coal. Further search 
disclosed an immense coal bed. Rich iron deposits were 
soon brought into notice ; the two discoveries changed ma- 
terially the principal industries of the State, and added 
largely to the wealth and prosperity of the people. The use 
of coal as fuel soon made changes necessary in the domes- 
tic arrangements of the household ; grates and stoves began 
to take the place of the old fire-place. Dr. Franklin's stove 
was the only kind known for a long time. 

9. The Cotton Gin. — Cotton had been planted only in 
small patches, to be used for the clothing of the family, 



1792 ADVANCEMENT OP THE COLONIES. 153 

.rjqo until after 1792, when Eli Whitney invented the 
cotton gin, for separating the seed from the lint 
cotton. This made a marvelous change in the industries 
of the Southern country. The gin could clean as much 
cotton in a few minutes as dozens of hands could do in a week. 
The farmers had a custom of inviting their neighbors to 
what they called a cotton-picking. The girls came in the 
afternoon, the young men, at night. Each man's task was 
to pick his shoe full of seed. After the work was done, the 
rest of the evening was given to dancing and frolic by the 
young people. 

With the cotton gin, the production of cotton began at 
once to increase ; it soon became the great staple of South- 
ern export. 

10. Slaves. — The cultivation of tobacco, rice and cot- 
ton in the Southern States made slave labor very profita- 
ble, and as the Northern States turned their attention to 
manufacture and other branches of industry, the slaves 
were gradually removed from the North southward. The 
white man could not work in the swamps, where rice was 
grown, nor in the burning summer sun, which is so neces- 
sary for the growth of cotton. The negro objected to nei- 
ther of these ; he had left both the sun and the swamp in 
his home in Africa. 
12 



SECTION V. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE GOVERNMENT. 

1. The Constitution.— The people of the United 
Mav States saw that changes were needed in the Arti- 

ticles of Confederation which they had adopted, and 

representatives from each of the States met and 

formed a new Constitution. This Federal Constitution was 

adopted by all the States, though many persons objected to 

it. 

2. Electoral Colleges. — The Constitution required 
that the president and vice-president should be elected by 
Colleges of Electors : these were men chosen by the people, upon 
a general ticket, making all the electors from each State be- 
long to the same political party. The number of electors 
allowed to each State was the same as the number of its 
senators and representatives in Congress. These electors 
were to meet in their own States and vote by ballot ; the 
record of these votes was to be sealed and sent to the presi- 
dent of the Senate, who should, " in the presence of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives, open all the cer- 
tificates " and the votes should be counted. General Wash- 
ington was elected the first president, and John Adams the 
vice-president. 

3. Congress was to be divided into two houses, or di- 
visions, and the votes of both houses were to be necessary 
to make any law or pass any bill. To each State was given 
the right to send two senators to Congress, but the repre- 
sentatives were to be chosen in proportion to the number 



1789 Washington's administration. 155 

of inhabitants, " on the three-fifths basis." Five negroes 
were to be counted as three white men. The constitution 
left the States their own separate rights, and specified defi- 
nitely the powers of Congress. 

4. Three Branches of Government.— The govern- 
ment was divided into three branches. The legislative, or 
law-making power, was given to Congress. The executive 
power was placed in the hands of the president. The judi- 
cial power, or power to interpret the meaning of the laws, 
was given to the courts and judges. 

5. The President's Cabinet.— Officers who were to 
assist the president were called his cabinet. They were the 
Secretary of State, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, and the Attorney-General. The offices of the Secretary 
of the Navy and Secretary of the Interior were added after- 
ward. 



CHAPTER II. 

WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION — 1789-1 797. 

1. Inauguration.— George Washington, who had been 
elected president for a term of four years, was inaugurated 
April 30, 1789, in the city of New York. He took an oath 
to perform all the duties of his office, and, because on that 
day he began to act as president, the ceremonies were 
called his inauguration. 

2. The Important Events of his administration were : 
1. Trouble with the Indians in the Northwest. 2. Diffi- 
culties with France. 3. The whisky insurrection. 4. The 
admission of Kentucky, Vermont, and Tennessee. 

3. Indians. — After the close of the war, several forts 
in the Northwest were still in possession of the British, 



156 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1790 



although the treaty of peace required that they should be 
given up. The British traders made the Indians believe 
that the Americans would soon be ruled by Great Britain 
again, and they encouraged them to attack the western set- 
tlements. Washington sent General Harmar with an 
armed force against them. He burned several Indian towns 
and destroyed their crops. After dividing his troops, so as 
to move in different directions, he fought two battles, and 
was defeated in both of them. 

General St. Clair was then 
sent out with new troops, 
and General Harmar was 
removed from the com- 
mand. St. Clair was also 
surprised by the savages, 
and, in a battle with them, 
lost six hundred men. 

4. Federalists and 
Anti-Federalists.— The 
public debt, which had 
been incurred by the war, 
was very heavy. Con- 
gress passed a law estab- 
lishing a tariff for taxing 
all imported goods, and all 
foreign vessels bringing the goods. A tax was also imposed 
upon all distilled liquors. The amount raised by these 
means was to be devoted to the payment of the debt. The 
tariff was Alexander Hamilton's plan ; Thomas Jefferson 
opposed it. It was the beginning of a controversy which 
has been going on ever since that time. Hamilton and 
Adams wanted more power given to Congress; Jefferson 
thought it would be unwise for the States to surrender 
any of their rights. These questions of tariff and States 
rights divided the people into two great political parties. 




PRESIDENT WASHINGTON. 



A.i 



1791 WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 157 

Those who thought as Hamilton did were called Feder- 
alists. The friends of Jefiferson were anti-Federalists or 
Democratic Republicans. 

5. Slavery. —The increase of slaves in the South began 
1 7Q0 ^^ attract the attention of the Northern States. Dr. 

Franklin prepared a petition for the emancipation 
of slaves ; this he presented to Congress, but Congress de- 
cided that it had no power to act in the matter. 

6. Kentucky. — It was a long time before families ven- 
1 «Q-| tured to go among the Indians beyond the moun- 
tains south of the Ohio river. Daniel Boone, a 

brave hunter in North Carolina, was the first to go. After 
exploring portions of the beautiful valleys and mountain 
ranges which were then a wilderness, he and his brother, 
who had accompanied him, returned for their wives and 
children. About the time that the first battles of the Rev- 
olution were fought, they began to build the first town of 
Kentucky, at Boonsborough. Daniel Boone" was followed 
by other settlers from the Carolinas. After the close of the 
war, it was made a separate State from Virginia, and ad- 
mitted into the Union in 1791. 

7. Vermont was added to the United States about the 
same time, which made the number fifteen. 

"Daniel Boone. — A few years before the Revolution, Daniel Boone 
and several friends, dressed in the buckskin suits worn by hunters in 
those days, and armed with guns and knives, left their homes, to learn 
somethine: of the pathless forest which then covered the State of Ken- 
tucky. It lay between the region claimed by the Five Nations, and that 
belonging to the Cherokees, and was called by them Kentucky, which 
means "Dark and Bloody Ground." It is supposed to have received the 
name on account of the battles they fought there. It was then a part of 
Virginia. Boone was a prisoner in the hands of the Indians more than 
once, but he managed to escape. The savages killed nearly all of the 
men who accompanied him. Only he and his brother were left ; and af- 
ter they had remained two years in that wild country, " without bread, 
salt or sugar," spending the time hunting buffaloes and other wild ani- 
mals, which they found in great numbers, they returned home. 



158 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1793 

8. Whisky Insurrection.— The tax imposed upon 
1792 distilled liquors, by Congress, was not, everywhere? 

promptly paid. In the western part of Pennsyl- 
vania, meetings were held and threats were made against 
the revenue officers who were to collect the tax. The pres- 
ident issued a proclamation, by which he tried to induce 
the people to submit to the law. As the opposition con- 
tinued, a force of fifteen thousand men was sent to the dis- 
orderly districts, and the insurrection came to an end with- 
out the necessity of shedding blood. 

9. Second Term. — Washington was again elected pres- 
-trjQo ident, and was inaugurated March 4, 1793. Mr. 

Adams was also re-elected vice-president. 

10. Trouble With France.— A war, known as the 
w,-rQo French Revolution, had been raging in France; 

the armies of Austria and Russia had crossed the 
Rhine and were invading the territory of the French. The 
people of the United States had not forgotten LaFayette and 
De Grasse ; many thought that America ought to do some- 
thing in return to assist the French. President Washing- 
ton thought dififerently, and he advised them to remain 
neutral, which meant that they should take no part in the 
war. 

11. Citizen Genet (zhe-na) was sent to the United 
j^qo States, as minister from France. He persuaded 

some of the most prominent friends of France 
to help him prepare vessels to sail from the United States 
against those who were at war with his countrymen. 
Washington immediately requested the French govern- 
ment to recall him. 

12. Indians Subdued.— In the fall of the same year, 
^,jqo General Wayne was sent to the Northwest to take 

command of the forces that had been sent against 
the Indians. He advanced into their country and built 



1797 ADAMS^ ADMINISTRATION. 159 

several forts, after which he fought, a bloody battle with 
thera. The Indians were defeated and compelled to make 
peace. By their treaty, they gave up large bodies of land 
beyond the Ohio. 

13. Tennessee became one of the United States in 
1796. 

14. Washington Retired.— Many of the people were 
^«q« anxious for the president to continue in office, and 

they wanted to elect him for a third term, but he 
preferred to return to his quiet home at Mount Vernon. 



CHAPTER III. 

ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION — 1797-1800. 

1. Inauguration. — John Adams, of Massachusetts, was 
inaugurated the second president of the United States 
March 4, 1797. Thomas Jefferson had been elected vice- 
president. 

2. The Principal Events of Mr. Adams' administra- 
tion were : 1. A settlement of the difficulties with France. 
2. The death of General Washington. 3. The removal of 
the capitol to Washington city. 

3. French Trade Laws.— In France it was thought that 
the people of the United States showed great ingratitude ; 
and, to punish them, the French government passed laws 
of trade, which injured the commerce of the United States. 
American vessels, which were said to have violated these 
laws, were taken by the French. The United States, wish- 
ing to avoid war, if peace could be secured on honorable 
terms, sent three men to meet agents in Paris, from the 
French government ; these men were to find out what was 
necessary to satisfy both nations. The French agents would 



160 HISTORY OP THE UKITED STATES. 1800 

not agree upon any terms unless the United States would 
promise to pay large sums of money. These being refused, 
two of the Americans were ordered to leave France. 

4. Preparations for War. — The people of the United 
States were very indignant when they knew of this insult 
to their agents. Congress determined to strengthen the 
defences of the principal ports, to raise an army, and to 
build or hire ships of war. Washington accepted the com- 
mand of the army. 

5. Death of Washington. — General Washington had 

almost reached the age of sixty-eight years, when, 
' December 14, 1799, death ended his work on earth. 
Congress adjourned, as soon as the news was received, and 
did all that could be done to show honor to the noble man 
who had held the highest offices for his country, and whose 
whole life had been marked by a faithful discharge of duty 
and a firm adherence to the right. He was buried at Mount 
Vernon. 

6. A Treaty of Peace. — The prompt action of the 

Americans did much to influence the French to 
make terms for peace. There was some fighting 
upon the ocean, but the war ended there. Napoleon Bona- 
parte, who had been placed at the head of the French gov. 
ernment, made a treaty of peace in 1800. 

7. The Seat of Government Changed. — Ten years 
before this time. Congress had decided that the capital 
should be removed from Philadelphia to the District of Co- 
lumbia, which had been ceded to the government by Mary- 
land and Virginia. General Washington had selected a 
place upon the left bank of the Potomac for the capital city, 
and it received his name. The next year after his death, 
the capital was changed. 



1803 Jefferson's administration. 161 

CHAPTER IV. 

JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION — 1801-1809. 

1. Inauguration.— Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, the 
third president of the United States, was inaugurated in 
the city of Washington March 4, 1801, and he continued in 
office two terms. 

2. The Principal Events of his administration were : 
1. The admission of Ohio. 2. The purchase of the Terri- 
tory of Louisiana. 3. The war with Tripoli. 4. Troubles 
with England about commerce. 5. The passage of the 
" Embargo Act." 6. The invention of the steamboat. 

3. Ohio.— The rich country north and west of the Ohio 

river had attracted many emigrants from the 
States, and after the Indians were driven out, the 
population increased rapidly. In 1802, the second year of 
Jefiferson's term, the eastern part of this region was ad- 
mitted into the Union, as the State of Ohio. 

4. The Louisiana Purchase.— At that time, Louisiana 

embraced all the country from the Mississippi to 
the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexi- 
co to British America. The French had given up their 
claims in America to England and Spain, at the close of 
the French and Indian war ; but, by another treaty. Spam 

Exploration of the Columbia River.--The Territory of Oregon had 
first been visited, in 1792, by Captain Gray, of Boston, who mailed into 
the Columbia river and gave it its name. For that reason the United 
States claimed all the region watered by the tributaries of the Columbia. 
In 1804. the president sent out a party of men, commanded by Captain 
Lewis and Lieutenant Clark, to explore the country. They were absent 
two years, and in their journey across the continent, were exposed to 
many dangers from Indians and wild beasts. The two main branches of 
the Columbia were named for the leaders of the party-Lewis and Clark. 

13 



162 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1803 



afterward gave back Louisiana to France. Napoleon, the 
Emperor of France, needed money to carry on the war 




which had begun with England, and in 1803, he sold this 
vast region to the United States for fifteen millions of dol- 
lars. This purchase gave the United States the right to 



1806 Jefferson's administration. 163 

navigate the Mississippi river ; it also added nearly one 
million square miles of territory. 

5. War with Tripoli.— Pirates from Tripoli (trip-o-le), 
1 oQ-j one of the Barbary States in the north of Africa, 

had robbed and captured American vessels in the 
Mediterranean sea, and an armed fleet was sent out by the 
United States, under Commodore Preble, to make war with 
Tripoli. 

6. The " Philadelphia," commanded by Captain Bain- 
-- oQo bridge, while pursuing one of these pirate ships, 

ran upon a rock. It was soon surrounded by Tri- 
politan boats and captured. The prisoners were all carried 
to the land and made to work as slaves. 

To keep the enemy from using the " PJiiladelphia," Lieu- 
tenant Decatur, one of the United States ofiicers, deter- 
mined to recapture or destroy the ship. He moved into 
the harbor of Tripoli at night, in a small boat, accompa- 
nied by a few daring sailors. After some trouble and de- 
lay, they reached the side of the " Philadelphia," climbed 
into the ship, and killed every man on board, except those 
who were carried back as prisoners. As they returned to 
their own vessel, the flames which they had started on the 
" Philadelphia " lit up their way ; in a short time, the re- 
captured ship burned to the water's edge and went down 
into the sea. 

7. Peace. — Afterward, the American fleet bombarded the 
^r.r.r town of Tripoli several times. The United States 

also sent a force to attack Tripoli by land. The 
Dey then consented to terms of peace. The prisoners, who 
had endured the cruelty of slavery under him, were re- 
leased ; promises were given that American vessels should 
be safe from disturbance in future. 

8. Blockade. — During the war between England and 
1806 France, the British Parliament passed an act by 

which the coast of Europe was declared to be in a 



164 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1807 

state of blockade. This closed the ports in that part of the 
world, and prevented France from obtaining help from 
other nations. Napoleon, in return, published an order for 
the blockade of the British Islands. 

9. The Right of Search.— England also claimed the 
right to search American vessels and to press into the Brit- 
ish navy any seamen, who had been born in England, and 
who were still considered subjects of Great Britain. Often 
Americans were claimed as English deserters, and taken to 
England in accordance with this claim. 

10. The Chesapeake. — Many of the United States 
1 807 vessels were not strong enough to battle with the 

British men-of-war that stopped them, and they 
were compelled to .submit to the search. The American 
frigate, "Chesapeake," had started out upon a long voyage, 
when she was attacked by the British ship, '' Leopard." 
Several men on board the " Chesapeake " were killed, and 
four others, who were accused of being deserters, were 
taken. 

11. Nevr Orders. — President Jefferson issued a procla- 
mation declaring that no British armed vessels would be 
allowed to enter a port of the United States. The British 
government disapproved of what the officers of the 
*' Leopard " had done ; but the king afterward published an 
order by which all nations, not engaged in the war, were 
forbidden to trade with France, unless they paid a tax to Eng- 
land for the privilege. Napoleon, in return, threatened to 
capture all vessels that paid the tax, or allowed the search 
to be made. 

12. The Embargo Act. — After this, Congress passed 
-jr^Q^ the "Embargo Act." It required that all Ameri- 
can trading vessels should return to the United 

States and remain there ; it would not allow ships belong- 
ing to other nations to take cargoes from our ports. This 



1809 Jefferson's administration. 165 

Act, though intended as a revenge upon England, ruined 
the commerce of America, and produced much dissatisfac- 
tion among the people. It was soon repealed, and a law 
was made in its place, which stopped the commerce with 
England and France. 

13. The Steamboat. — Before this time, the movement 
Ac^Qj of boats and vessels depended on sails or oars. 

Robert Fulton, of Pennsylvania, was the first to 
succeed in moving a boat rapidly over the water by the 
power of steam ; though other m<en in difierent countries 
have claimed the honor of the invention of the steamboat. 
He had spent sometime in France having an engine made 
and trying experiments there. Afterward, he returned to 
America and continued his work. Many who heard of what 
he was doing, said that he was deranged, and others pre- 
dicted that he would never succeed. By September, the 
work was finished, and he invited a party of friends to take 
a trip up the Hudson on board his new boat, which he had 
named the '' Clermont." When everything else was ready, 
the wheels refused to move ; while Fulton was looking for 
the cause of the trouble, the whole party waited anxiously 
on the deck. In a short time, the hinderance was re- 
moved, and the " Clermont" glided proudly over the water, 
amidst the shouts of the delighted crowds on the banks. 

It traveled from New York to Albany in thirty-six hours. 
Other boats had taken six days and often ten days to 
go the same distance. Great improvements have been made 
since then, and splendid steamers now ply on all our large 
rivers. 

14. Progress. — When Mr. Jefferson's administration 
1 809 closed, he left the new republic thriving and grow- 
ing. The Louisiana purchase had widened her 

John Fitch, in Pennsylvania, and Samuel Rumsey, had also attempted 
to use steam for propelling boats, but had not succeeded. 



166 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1811 

domain to double its former size. Seventeen States had 
been enrolled as members of the Union, and the fertile 
lands of the West were being peopled by some of her most 
enterprising sons. The old debt was no longer a burden. 
Her exports had increased to more than one hundred mil- 
lions of dollars in value ; sixty-two millions pounds of cot- 
ton left her shores, as one crop, for foreign markets. The 
United States was beginning to be known as a power 
among the nations, but she was again threatened with war 
— a war in which a part of the fight must be made with 
the great navy of England. 



CHAPTER V. 

MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION — 1809-1817. 

1. Inauguration. — James Madison, of Virginia, was 
elected to succeed Mr. Jefferson as the fourth president, and 
was inaugurated March 4, 1809. He was in office two terms, 
or eight years. George Clinton, of New York, became the 
vice-president. 

2. Events. — This administration was marked by several 
important events : 1. The battle of Tippecanoe. 2. The 
admission of Louisiana. 3. The war of 1812 with Great 
Britain. 4. The war with Algiers. 5. Admission of In- 
diana. 

3. Battle of Tippecanoe. — During the second year of 
^ r^^ ^ Mr. Madison's term, the Indians of the Northwest 

began to be troublesome again. British agents had 
been among them, making them unfriendly to the settlers. 
One of their bravest chiefs, Tecumseh, with his brother, 
who was an Indian prophet, had formed a confederacy of 
tribes to drive back the white men. General Harrison, the 



1810 THE WAR OP 1812. 16^ 

governor of the Territory of Indiana, was sent with a body 
of troops against them. While he was encamped near Tip- 
pecanoe, in Indiana, the town in which the prophet lived, 
the chiefs met him with promises of peace, but he had so 
little faith in their friendship, that he ordered his men to 
be ready for battle at a moment's warning. The Indians, 
led by the prophet, made a sudden attack in the night. The 
battle lasted two hours, after which the Indians retreated, 
and Tecumseh's plans failed. 

4. Louisiana. — In 1812, Louisiana was admitted as one 
1^1 9 of the United States. Afterward all the Louisiana 

Purchase, except that included in the State of 
Louisiana, was placed under a government like that of the 
other territories, and called the Missouri Territory. St. 
Louis was made its capital. 

THE WAR OP 1812. 

5. Causes of the War.— The war of 1812 was caused 
by the interference of England with the commerce of the 
United States, and the seizure of seamen on board Ameri- 
can ships. During the war between England and France, 
English officers had taken as prizes about nine hundred 
American vessels because they had refused to submit to the 
laws of that government. 

6. The President's Proclamation.— In 1810, Napol- 
.„. eon repealed his decrees against the commerce of 

neutral nations, and President Madison issued a 
proclamation that trade would be free with France, but un- 
less England would change her unjust trade laws, in three 
months, the Non-intercourse Act of Congress would pro- 
hibit all business of that kind with Great Britain. 

7. England.— This made the government of England 
more watchful and severe than it had been before, and 



YoiPtdstonr/t. 

•) Awn's."- 




/^^^ 



Campaigns of ms-lSl^-. 

le lo 40 to So ^^ 

-^-' — ' ' ^ 'Qt)^ 

£cALt OF Miles. <> 



V/ 



3V»'*='? 



rrH^NRY 






,. 'Fr.lVlAOARk 



^>^^ ?.^v \il^ 



^^^J 






-j„,i'- ^cu^'fSRrsfvicroRr 







SCALCOfAf/l 



■ Mi/et 



A MAP OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR OF 1812-1814. 



i i 



I8l2 DECLARATION OF WAK. 169 

armed British ships were stationed near the principal ports 
of the United States to keep vessels from coming in or go- 
ing out. 

8. The " President."— In the spring of the next year, 
^g-j^j the United States frigate, "President," left the 

shores of the Chesapeake Bay, and hailed the 
British man-of-war, " Little Belt." The answer was a shot 
from the " Little Belt." A broadside from the " President " 
was the reply to this. A battle followed, in which the 
" Little Belt " lost eleven killed and twenty-two wounded, 
and was completely disabled. 

9. Declaration of War.— This circumstance did much 
June 18 ^^ deepen the feelings of indignation that had 

already been aroused against Great Britain. 

Although some of the members of Congress 
thought the difficulties might be settled in some other 
way, the United States declared war with Great Britain in 
June, 1812. Arrangements were also made for raising an 
army. General Henry Dearborn, from Massachusetts, was 
appointed commander-in-chief. 

10. The Navy.— At the beginning of this war, the 
United States had only a small navy, and could not hope to 
do much fighting on the ocean against England's fleet, 
which numbered a thousand vessels. 

11. Plans. — It was thought that England would rather 
comply with the demands of the United States than en- 
danger her provinces in America ; and an attack on Canada 
was proposed. The army was stationed along the bound- 
ary of Canada. General Dearborn commanded the eastern 
division, General Van Rensselaer, the middle column, and 
General Hull, who was then governor of Michigan, took 
the western forces. 

12. The First Invasion of Canada.— After war was de- 
clared. General Hull crossed the Detroit river from Michi- 

14 



110 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1812 

gan to take the British fort, Maiden, on the Canada side of 
the river. Instead of going at once to the fort, he stopped 
at Sandwich, and the British had time to prepare for his 
coming. While he was waiting, the British took Fort 
Mackinaw, on Lake Huron, from the Americans. This 
was a very important place, because it was the principal de- 
fence for Michigan, and because it had become one of the 
noted places for trading in furs. 

13. Detroit. — After remaining nearly a month at 
A Sandwich, General Hull recrossed the river to De- 
troit without striking a single blow at the enemy. 
General Brock followed and demanded the surren- 
der of Detroit. The Americans were confident that they 
could defend themselves, and were eager for a victory; but 
Hull raised the white flag over the fort and gave up the 
town and the garrison. The fall of Detroit and Fort Macki- 
naw left the whole Territory of Michigan without defence 
against the British and the Indians. 

Hull was tried and condemned to be shot ; but, because of 
his services during the Revolution, the President pardoned 
him and dismissed him from the army. 

14. Second Invasion of Canada.— In the fall of the 
rx i same year, another invasion was undertaken. Gen- 

*' eral Van Rensselaer, at the eastern side of Lake 
lolz. -^yIq^ QQT^i a body of troops across the Niagara river 
to attack the British post at Queenstown. After some se- 
vere fighting at the landing, the Americans advanced suc- 
cessfully until reinforcements made the enemy too strong 
for them. General Van Rensselaer ordered fresh troops 
from the militia in his army to go and help them ; but, af- 
ter seeing the wounded, only one thousand would obey. 
The others excused themselves by saying that their gen- 
eral had no right to take them out of their own State. 
While they lingered behind, nearly all the attacking party 



1812 NAVAL VICTORIES. 171 

were killed or captured. General Van Rensselaer retired 
from the army ; he was unwilling to command men who 
would shrink from their duty in the hour of necessity and 
danger. 

15. Naval Victories. — Although this year was marked 
by failures on land, the Americans gained glorious victories 
on the sea. About three hundred merchant vessels and 
three thousand prisoners were taken from the British, 
besides the capture or destruction of several of their men- 
of-war. 

16. The "Essex."— The first victory was gained by 
. -JO Captain Porter, who commanded the frigate, 

" Essex." He captured the British ship, " Alert," 
the day after General Hull crossed into Canada. 

17. The " Constitution."— Captain Hull, a nephew of 
Aug. 19. . General Hull, in command of the " Constitu- 
tion," met the " Guerriere" (gare-e-ar'e), near the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence. Two flags were in sight. On one was the 
name "Guerriere," on the other, "iVoi the LiUle Belt,^^ re- 
ferring to the vessel taken by the " President." The en- 
gagement lasted about forty minutes, and then the " Guer- 
riere " surrendered. She was so badly injured that she 
could not be brought to land, and was blown up upon the 
water where she had fought. 

18. The " Wasp."— Captain Jones, the commander of 
Q . wo the '' Wasp," captured the British ship, " Frolic." 

After the bloody fight was over, only four men 
were left alive on the deck of the captured vessel. Before 
the " Wasp " sailed, another English ship arrived, and car- 
ried ofif both vessels. 

19. " The United States." — Captain Decatur, who had 
Ort 98 ^cted a noble part in the war with Tripoli, com- 
manded the frigate, " United States." Near the 

Canary Islands, he fought an hour and a half with the 



172 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1813 

British frigate, " Macedonian," and succeeded in captur- 
ing her and bringing her to New York. 

20. The "Constitution" Again. — The command of 
the " Constitution" had been given to Commodore Bain- 
bridge. The sailors, who loved the old ship, called her '' Old 
Ironsides." The second victory gained by the "Constitu- 
tion " was the capture of the " Java." When the fighting 
was done, the " Java " had been shot into a wreck, and one 
hundred and sixty of her men had been killed or wounded. 

21. The Close of the Campaign.— Nothing more was 
done until the next year. President Madison was re- 
elected, with Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, for vice- 
president. Congress prepared for carrying on the war by 
increasing the size of the army and by building new ships 
of war. 



CHAPTER VI. 

1813. 

1. Divisions of the Army. — The plan for continuing 
the war, in 1813, was still that of invading Canada, and 
the army was again divided and stationed under three 
commanders. The army of the West was encamped near 
the western part of Lake Erie, under the command of Gen- 
eral Harrison ; the army of the Centre, near Niagara, un- 
der General Dearborn, and the army of the North, near 
Lake Champlain, under General Wade Hampton. 

2. Frenchtown.— General Harrison determined to re- 
Jan 22 capture Detroit and all of Michigan that was 

' occupied by the British. In January, he sent 

loid. General Winchester to Frenchtown, near the 

river Raisin, wh^re he routed a small British force, and 



1813 ARMY MOVEMENTS. 173 

took possession of the town. A large number of British 
and Indians, under General Proctor, soon arrived ; the 
Americans were overpowered, and were obliged to surren- 
der. Proctor promised protection for the prisoners, but he 
marched to Fort Maiden with all who could walk. The 
sick and wounded were left behind. The Indians burned 
the houses in which they lay, and scalped those who at- 
tempted to escape. 

3. Fort Meigs and Fort Stephenson— The British 
and Indians besieged Fort Meigs, on the Maumee, May 18, 
and Fort Stephenson, on the Sandusky, August 1, but both 
places were bravely defended by their garrisons. The en- 
emy retreated without doing much damage and without 
gaining a foothold in the country. 

4. The Army of the Centre. — In the spring, General 
A '1 97 Dearborn had also moved for an attack. He 

sent a force across Lake Ontario to Toronto, 
or York, (as it was then called). After the arrival of the 
Americans at the fort, there was a fearful explosion of gun- 
powder, which the British had prepared before leaving. 
Two hundred were killed, but the town fell into General 
Dearborn's possession. 

5. Fort George. — From York, the Americans moved 
against Fort George, at the mouth of the Niagara river ; in 
a short time, it was surrendered to them. The possession 
of this fort gave them the control of all that part of Can- 
ada bordering on the Niagara. 

6. A British Success.— While General Dearborn re- 
mained quietly at Fort George, the British generals sta- 
tioned troops along the mountain passes, so that he could 

Sackett's Harbor. — While the Americans were at York and Fort 
George, the British crossed the Lake, May 29, and made an attack upon 
Sackett'a Harbor, on the New York side. They were entirely unsuccess- 
ful. 



174 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1813 

have no communication with the country beyond them. 
General Dearborn sent seven hundred men to drive them 
from a post which they had established near Fort George* 
Before reaching the place, the Americans were surrounded 
by British and Indian troops and captured. 

7. General Wilkinson. — Soon after this, General 
Dearborn resigned his commission as general, and General 
Wilkinson was appointed to fill his place. 

8. Captain Lawrence. — American seamen continued 
the war upon the ocean. In February, the " Hornet," com- 
manded by Captain Lawrence, captured the British brig, 
" Peacock," after an engagement of fifteen minutes. When 
Captain Lawrence returned to America, he was promoted 
to the command of the " Chesapeake." His vessel was an- 
chored in Boston Harbor (Junel), when the British frigate, 
'' Shannon," came insight. The " Chesapeake" sailed out 
to meet the enemy, and a bloody battle followed. Captain 
Lawrence was mortally wounded. His dying words to his 
men were : " DonH give up the ship.^^ These words have been 
remembered and repeated in times of danger and trial by 
many American sailors since then. Nearly all the officers 
of the " Chesapeake " were killed or wounded, and the Brit- 
ish who crowded her decks, pulled down her flag and made 
prisoners of her crew. 

9. Perry's Victory. — The Americans saw that it was 

necessary for them to have control of Lake Erie 
isi Q ' ^^^ Lake Ontario. Ships were accordingly fitted 

out and placed under the command of Commo- 
dore Perry. The British vessels which opposed him were 
commanded by Commodore Barclay. In September, the 
two fleets met in the western part of Lake Erie. Perry had 
named his flag-ship " Laiorence,''' in honor of the commander 
of the "Chesapeake." A flag with the hero's dying words, 
" DonH give up the ship^^^ was raised upon the mast as the 



1813 WAR WITH THE CREJlK INDIANS. 1T5 

battle began. All the British guns were turned toward the 
" Laivrencey It was soon disabled. Perry crossed to an- 
other vessel, in a small boat, amidst the cheers of his 
men and the fire from the enemy, and the battle went on. 
In four hours, every British soldier had surrendered. Com- 
modore Perry wrote to General Harrison, " We have met the 
enemy ^ and they are ours.''' 

10. The Result.— Soon after this, the British left De- 
troit. The Indians were afraid to advance, and General 
Harrison prepared to move forward. After reinforcements 
reached him, he sent a part of his army across the river at 
Detroit, and a part in Perry's fleet to Fort Maiden. They 
found the fort deserted. The garrison had heard of the 
defeat of Commodore Barclay on Lake Erie, and had re- 
treated. 

11. Battle of the Thames. — The Americans pursued 

the enemy and overtook them near the Thames 
_^ '' ' river. There a battle was fought, which resulted 

in another victory to the Americans. Besides 
six hundred prisoners, a number of cannons and a quantity 
of stores were captured. Tecumseh, who led the Indians, 
was killed, but the British general managed to escape. In 
consequence of these successes, Michigan was restored, the 
Indian confederacy broken, and the war in that part of the 
country ended. 

12. War with the Creek Indians.— The Creek In- 

dians, in Georgia and Alabama, had been 
M^y. 1 81 J. i^^flu^^ced by Tecumseh to attack the whites 
March, 1814. .^ ^^^^ section. In August, they suddenly 
attacked Fort Mimms, on the Alabama river, about forty 
miles from Mobile, and killed three hundred persons. The 
militia of Georgia and Tennessee, commanded by General 
Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee, marched against them. 
Five battles were fought, in each of which the Indians were 



It6 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1813 

defeated. After these reverses, the savages gathered their 
remaining forces, and waited for the white men at " The 
Horse-shoe Bend,^^ or, in their language, Tohopeka, on 
the Tallapoosa river. At this place, they were completely 
routed by General Jackson's army, and a treaty of peace was 
afterward made with them. 

13. The Argus. — Captain Allen commanded the brig, 
Aug, 14, "■ Argus^^^ which carried the United States minis- 

1813. ter to France. After leaving America, Captain 
Allen captured twenty British vessels, but before his return, 
he was met by the " Pelican" and compelled to surrender. 

14. The Enterprise. — In September, the United States 

brig, " Enterprise," captured from the enemy the 
Sept. 13. ,, BQxer," near the coast of Maine. 

15. Commodore Porter. — Commodore Porter spent the 
summer on the Atlantic, in command of the frigate, " Es- 
sex," and many an English trading vessel was compelled 
to give its cargo to his crew. Afterward he sailed into the 
Pacific, and there also became famous by taking prizes from 
the enemy. 

16. The British in Chesapeake Bay.— A British 
fleet, under Admiral Cockburn, entered the Chesapeake 
Bay during the summer of this year and destroyed all the 
merchant vessels that could be found. Georgetown, Havre- 
de-Grace, and Jt'redericktown were burnt. Norfolk was also 
attacked, but the invaders were driven back from that place. 
After doing all the mischief he could at Hampton, Cockburn 
sailed away. 

17. Movements of the Army.— After regaining De- 
troit, all plans and efforts were directed toward taking 
Montreal. The army began to move from Sackett's Harbor. 
At Williamsburg, on the St. Lawrsnce, they were attacked 
by the British. Both sides lost heavily, but gained noth- 
ing. There was some disagreement among the oflicers, and 



1814 CAMPAIGN IN CANADA. 177 

a council of war decided to give up going to Montreal until 
the next season. The army went into winter quarters at 
French Mills, about sixty miles from Plattsburg, where they 
remained until February, and then went on to Plattsburg, 
on Lake Champlain.* 



CHAPTER VII. 

1814. 

1. Campaign in Canada. — General Brown had been 
appointed to command the American Army of the Centre. 
His forces crossed the river and captured Fort Erie, on the 
Canada side of Lake Erie. From that point, they marched 
to Chippewa (chip-pe-wah). A battle was fought (July 5), 
and the British were compelled to retreat. 

2. Battle of Lundy's Lane. — The Americans pursued 

the enemy to Lake Ontario. Fresh British troops 
^ ^ ' joined the retreating forces at Lundy's Lane, near 

Niagara Falls. This place was the scene of an- 
other battle, in which both armies lost heavily, but gained 
nothing. 

3. Fort Erie —The Americans then returned to Fort 

Erie, where they were in turn besieged by the 
bept. 1/, gj.j^jg]^^ When reinforcements from Plattsburg 

arrived, General Brown led out his troops and 
compelled the enemy to retreat. Two months later, the 
Americans blew up the fort and left Canada. 

4. Battle of Plattsburg. — Commodore McDonough 

» Buffalo. — All the forces had been needed for the movement against 
Montreal, and those who guarded Fort George were withdrawn from that 
place. Before leaving the fort, they burned the town of Newark. The 
British in return invaded New York and burned Buffalo and several 
other towns. 
15 



178 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1814 



commanded the American vessels on Lake Cham- 
-1^1 A ' P-^^^^- '^^®y were anchored near Plattsburg, where 
General McComb, who had been left as the lead- 
ing officer, had encamped. In September, General Prevost 
(pre-v6), the British governor, marched against Plattsburg. 
After Prevost began the battle on land. Commodore Downie 
brought his British fleet against McDonough. The most 
important part of the fighting was done on the lake. After 
a battle of two hours, the whole British fleet surrendered. 
Prevost retreated, and the war in that part of the country 
was ended. 
5. Washington. — A short time before this battle, Eng- 
* lish vessels reached the Chesapeake Bay, with 

-loiA^ English troops commanded by General Ross. 
Nearly all the United States troops had been sent 
to Canada, and there had been none left to defend the capi- 
tal. General Winder collected the militia at Blandens- 
burg, below Washington, to check the approach of the en- 
emy. The militia soon began to retreat, and General Ross 
went on to the city. His soldiers burned the public build- 
ings, among them the new capitol and the president's 
house. After that, they returned to their ships. 

7. Baltimore. — The fleet moved toward Baltimore, and 
the troops landed a few miles from the city. They were 
again met by a militia force, and during the engagement 
with them. General Ross was killed. His army did not ad- 
vance upon the city ; but the fleet began to bombard Fort 
McHenry, which defended the entrance to Baltimore.* 

aThe Star-Spangled Banner. — Francis Key, of Baltimore, liad been 
sent to one of the British ships upon some military business, and was 
compelled to remain while the bombardment of Fort McHenry lasted. 
He watched anxiously the United States flag floating over the fort, and 
while there composed the well-known poem entitled, " The Star-spangled 
Banner.^'' 



1815 BATTLE OP NEW ORLEANS. 11^9 

Though the firing continued through a day and night, 
nothing was gained. The troops returned to their vessels 
and sailed for some other shore. 

8. The New England States.— The coast of New 
England was also visited in the same way. Efforts were 
made to land at different places, without success. Stoning- 
ton was bombarded, but the enemy gained no victory there. 

9. The Navy.— Upon the ocean this year, the Ameri- 
cans lost two of their war ships ; but they captured five from 
the enemy, besides a number of trading vessels. One of 
the American vessels lost this year was the " Essex," Com- 
modore Porter's ship. It was captured by^ two British 
ships, near the western coast of South America. 

10. The Hartford Convention.— The people of the 
^ New England States had been opposed to this war 
1 «1 1 ' w^*^ ^^®^* Britain from its beginning, and as it 

continued, their opposition increased. In Decem- 
ber of 1814, they sent delegates to a convention, at Hart- 
ford, to consult about their rights in the matter. The bus- 
iness of their meeting was transacted secretly, but they 
sent to Congress a statement of their reasons for objecting to 
the war, and a request for some change to be made in the 
constitution. 

11. Battle of New Orleans.— About the middle of De- 

cember, Sir Edward Packenham, with twelve 
Tqi^' thousand British troops, landed nine miles below 
New Orleans. General Jackson, with about half 
that number of volunteers and militia, prepared to defend 
the city. He strengthened the fortifications by throwing 
up a long line of breastworks. Part of it was built of 
cotton bales, and a deep ditch was dug in front of it. The 
American vessels were first attacked, and after some fight- 
ing, were compelled to surrender. The enemy then moved 
toward New Orleans. Many of the men in Jackson's army 



180 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1816 

were hunters, who lived in the forest beyond, and who 
were trained marksmen. As the British advanced, nearly 
every shot from the breastworks laid one of them wounded 
and bleeding upon the ground. General Packenham was 
killed, and after several attempts to pass the works, his 
army was compelled to retreat. They had lost about two 
thousand six hundred men. The American loss was only 
seven hilled and six wounded. 

12. Peace. — This was the last battle of the war, and 
■ri t^ 1^ while the people were rejoicing over the vic- 

.^.r ' tory, the glad news was received that a treaty of 
peace had been signed, at Ghent, in Belgium. 
This treaty had been made before the battle of New Or- 
leans was fought, but the Americans had not heard of it. 
Its terms were agreed to by Congress February 17, 1815. 
The war had cost the United States about one hundred mil- 
lions of dollars, and the lives of thirty thousand men. 

13. War with Algiers.- About the time that peace 

was made with Great Britain, the Dey of Algiers be- 
gan to allow his people to rob and capture American 
merchant vessels, as the pirates of Tripoli had done. War was 
declared against Algiers, and Commodore Decatur was sent 
out with a fleet to the Mediterranean to protect the com- 
merce of the United States. 

He captured two of the Algerian vessels, and compelled 
the Dey to return the property and prisoners he had taken, 
and to pay for the damage that had been done. 

14. Indiana. — In 1816, Indiana, which had been a part 
1S1fi ^^ ^^® Northwest Territory, became one of the 

United States. At the close of Madison's adminis- 
tration, there were nineteen States in the Union. 



1818 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 181 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Monroe's administration — 1817-1825. 

1. Inauguration. — James Monroe, of Virginia, was 
elected the fifth president, and was inaugurated March 4, 
1817, Daniel D. Tompkins, of New York, became vice- 
president at the same time. Mr. Monroe served two terms, 
or eight years. 

2. The most Important Events of this administra- 
tion were : 1. The admission of Mississippi. 2. The Sem- 
inole war. 3. The admission of Illinois. 4. The comple- 
tion of the first steamship. 5. The admission of Alabama. 
6. The adoption of the Missouri Compromise. 7. The ad- 
mission of Maine and Missouri. 8. The Florida Purchase. 
9. LaFayette's visit. 

3. Mississippi. — The Mississippi Territory, which in- 
-jo^^ eluded Alabama and Mississippi, and which had 

been ceded by Georgia to the general government, 
was divided in 1798, and the western portion was admitted 
into the Union, as the State of Mississippi, in 1817. 

4. The Seminole War, — During the same year, the 
^o-|Q Seminole and Creek Indians began to plunder the 

settlements in Georgia, along the Florida bound- 
ary. General Jackson marched with a thousand militia to- 
ward Florida, the next spring, to drive them back. He 
burned several of their towns and took their crops and cat- 
tle. Believing that the Spanish oflficers were aiding and 
encouraging the savages, he marched to St. Marks and Pen- 
sacola, and, after capturing the forts at both places, sent 
the Spanish governor with all his forces to Havana. 

5. British Traders. — Two British traders at St. 
Marks, Arburthnot and Ambrister, were accused of furnish- 



182 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1819 

ing the Indians with arms and ammunition for the war. 
General Jackson ordered his soldiers to arrest them, and 
they were tried by court-martial and condemned to die. 

There were some objections made to General Jackson's 
course in invading the Spanish territory, but, after all the 
circumstances were fully known, Congress approved all 
that he had done. 

6. Illinois had been first a part of the Northwest Terri- 

tory, then a part of Indiana Territory, and after 

the admission of Indiana as a State, it had been 

known as the Territory of Illinois. After the war, settlers 

had moved there in large numbers, and in 1818, it became 

one of the United States. 

7. The First Ocean Steamer. — The next year, 1819, the 

commerce of the world was ai ded and increased by 
1 qi*q' *^® introduction of steam as a power to move vessels 
upon the ocean. The first steamer that crossed the 
Atlantic was the '^Savannah." Though it was built in New 
York, it belonged to merchants in Savannah, Georgia. Its 
first voyage was made from the city for which it was named, 
to Liverpool and St. Petersburg. It was an object of wonder 
and interest in the various ports that it visited. Before this 
invention, the trade between different countries depended 
upon the sails and the winds which carried them. A trip 
from Europe to America required two or three months; 
now it can be accomplished in less than ten days. 

8. Alabama. — By the close of 1819, the people of Ala- 

bama wished a State government, and were admit- 
* ted into the Union. 

9. Slave States. — At one time, negro slaves were bought 
and sold in all the colonies. Each State had decided for 
itself whether or not its people should own slaves. Those 
States which kept the slaves were called Slave States, and 
the others, Free States. 



*\ 



1821 MAINE AND MISSOURI. 183 

10. The Missouri Compromise.— When the question 

of receiving Missouri as a State came before Con- 
^^^^' gress, it caused a very exciting debate. One party 
was in favor of its admission, provided it came as a free 
State; the other thought Congress had no right to interfere 
with this question, which all the other States had settled 
for themselves. They finally agreed to admit Maine and 
Missouri as all the other States had been admitted. At the 
same time, a bill, introduced by Mr. Clay, called the " Mis- 
souri Compromise," was passed. This bill provided that 
slavery should be prohibited from any part of the Louisiana 
Purchase north of the parallel of thirty-six degrees and 
thirty minutes north latitude, except that included in the 
State of Missouri. This parallel is the southern boundary 
of Missouri. 

11. Maine, which had been a part of Massachusetts, 
was admitted as a new State in 1820. 

12. Missouri was enrolled as one of the United States 

in 1821, the next year, after a proclamation from 

'^^^•' the president, prescribing that her Legislature 

^^^^' should pass no laws that would conflict with the 

constitution of the United States. The name of this State 

was taken from the great river which winds through it. 

The word means Muddy Water. 

13. Florida and Oregon. — Trouble with Spain had 

been expected on account of General Jackson's in- 
■^ ' vasion of Florida; but arrangements were made 
1^21- by which Spain agreed to give up all claim to Flor- 
ida and to the Territory of Oregon, on the Pacific. In 
return, the United States were to pay five millions of dol- 
lars. 

14. Re-election. — Mr. Monroe had been elected, during 
the previous fall, for a second term, and was inaugurated 
again, March 4, 1821. 



184 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1825 

15. The Monroe Doctrine.— The president advised 
Congress to recognize the independence of Mexico and the 
new States of South America, that had been struggling for 
freedom. In his message, he said the continents of America 
were " not to he considered as subjects for future colonization by 
any European power.^^ This principle was called the " Mon- 
roe Doctrine." 

16. LaFayette's Visit— During the last year of Presi- 

dent Monroe's second term, General LaFayette re- 
turned to the United States. He visited each of 

the twenty-four States, and was received everywhere by 

immense crowds of delighted people.* 



CHAPTER IX. 

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION — 1825-1829. 

1. Inauguration. — John Quincy Adams, the son of the 
second president, was elected to succeed Mr. Monroe ; he was 
inaugurated March 4, 1825. John C. Calhoun, of South 
Carolina, was vice-president. 

2. Prosperity. — During the greater part of this term, 
the country enjoyed peace and plenty. The population 
had reached ten millions. 

3. The most Important Events of this administra- 

* He was entertained by the vice-president at his home on Staten Island. 
A number of distinguished citizens met him there and accompanied him 
to New York city. The steamboats which carried the party were orna- 
mented with the flags of different nations. At Boston, the fiftieth anni- 
versary of the battle of Bunker Hill was celebrated, and LaFayette laid 
the corner stone of the monument which was then begun. Congress 
voted him two hundred thousand dollars and a township of land in Flor- 
ida. Before leaving America, he spent a short time at Mount Vernon. 
The old hero wept as he stood at the grave of his friend. 



1825 THE CREEK INDIANS. 185 

tion were: 1. Trouble with the Creek Indians in Georgia. 
2. The building of the first railroad. 3. The completion of 
the Erie canal. 4. The passage of the tariff laws. 

4. The Creeks.— Two United States agents made a 
1S25 treaty with the Creek Indians, which gave the 

government a large extent of territory. This land 
had already been ceded by Georgia, and embraced the States 
of Alabama and Mississippi, with a part of Georgia. White 
men, who lived among the Indians, made them believe tiiat 
they had been defrauded. These ignorant savages mur- 
dered their chief, Mcintosh, and several others, because 
they had signed the treaty ; they then asked the United 
States government to return all that had been given by its 
terms. This was agreed to, and another treaty was made 
the next year. 

Governor Troup, of Georgia, began to take possession of 
the land that had been given by the first treaty. He had 
the boundary between Georgia and Alabama made according 
to that agreement, and refused to acknowledge the second 
treaty. Officers in Washington threatened to arrest his 
surveyor ; he, in turn, threatened to resist if force were 
used, and nothing more .vas done to hinder him from dis- 
posing of the land. 

5. The Erie Canal.— Before the close of the first year 
1825 ^^ ^^^^ administration, the Erie canal, which con- 
nects Buffalo, on Lake Erie, with Albany, on the 

the Hudson, was finished. De Witt Clinton, the governor 

Death of Adams and Jefferson. — The fiftieth anniversary of our in- 
dependence was celebrated July 4, 1826. The day was also made memo- 
rable by the death of John Adams and his friend, Thomas Jefferson. 
Each had served his country in prominent and honored positions. Each 
had been foreign minister, vice president and president. Both had 
signed the Declaration of Independence, and both bad been on the com- 
mittee that framed it. The whole country mourned over the loss of the 
two aged statesmen, who breathed their last on the same day. 
16 



186 HISTORY Ot THE UNITED STATES. 1827 

of New York, had been one of the first to propose to the 
Legislature to cut this canal, and he showed his interest in 
it by digging the first spade-ful of earth with his own hands. 
The population of the central part of New York increased 
so rapidly that the villages, which were built along the 
route of the canal, soon grew into towns. 

6. The First Railroad. — Two years afterward, a rail- 
1827 ^^^^' ^^^®® miles long, was built from Quincy, 

Massachusetts, to the granite quarries. Horses 
were used to move the cars on this road for two years ; at 
the end of that time, other roads were built, and engines 
were introduced. The first steam engine for railroads made 
in America was called the " Best Friend," and was used on 
the South Carolina Railroad, from Charleston to Hamburg. 
Before the trial was made, many objections were urged 
against the use of engines. Some men thought the wheels 
would spin around upon the track without being able to 
move the train ; others believed that the wool of sheep 
would be blackened and ruined by the smoke. 

7. The Tariff. — During the war with England, the 
people of the United States were unable to buy foreign 
goods, and they began to manufacture for themselves. At 
first, they used only coarse homespun. Then machinery 
began to be used in America. Factories multiplied to 
supply the wants of the people. They were built mostly 
in New England, on the banks of the rivers, where the 
waters rushed rapidly down to the sea. After the treaty of 
peace, English goods were brought into the country and 
sold much cheaper than they could be made in America, 
because there were a great many cotton mills in England 
and because the workmen there received lower wages. The 
manufacturers sought help from Congress. Congress passed 
an act increasing the duties on imported goods. This was 
done to encourage and protect American manufactures, by 



1829 JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 187 

making imported goods sell higher than those made in 
the United States. This tariff was called a protective tariff, 
because it protected home manufacture. 

The new tariff divided more widely the two great politi- 
cal parties; it was also making a bitter division between 
two sections of the Union. The Northern States, being 
more extensively engaged in manufacturing, received most 
of the advantage from this new law; but the Southern 
States were nearly altogether agricultural States, and they 
objected to it because it compelled them to pay higher for 
their goods. The South thought the tariflf bill was uncon- 
stitutional, because it bestowed benefits upon one section of 
the country, while it was injurious to the other.* 



CHAPTER X. 

JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION — 1829-1837. 

1. Inauguration. — General Andrew Jackson, of Ten- 
nessee, who made himself famous in the battle of New 
Orleans, was inaugurated the seventh president, March 4, 
1829. John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, had been elected 
the vice-president. 

2. The most Important Events of this administra- 
tion were : 1. The Black Hawk War. 2. Resentment in 
South Carolina against the Tariflf Bill. 3. The removal of 

'^ »The feeling against the Tariff Bill was explained by a Southern Sena- 
tor in this way : A Northern farmer sends one hundred bales of wool to 
a mill in New England, to be made into cloth, and a Southern planter 
sends one hundred bales of cotton "to Old England, to be made into cal- 
icos." They both bring their cloth and calicos to Charleston the same 
day. The Northern man is allowed to land his goods free of duty, but 
the Southern man must leave forty of his bales in the custom house to 
pay for the privilege of landing his f emaining sixty. 



188 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1832 

the Indians westward. 4. The Florida war. 5. The ad- 
mission of Arkansas and Michigan. 

3. Black Hawk War. — The Sacs and Foxes had begun 
HooQ to give trouble in the Northwest Territory by 

making attacks upon the white settlers, who were 
living on the land which these Indians had sold to the 
United States government. They were led by their chief, 
''Black Hawk." General Scott commanded the troops that 
were sent out to drive them back. After two battles, in 
which the Indians suffered defeat, they were driven to a 
reservation which had been given them, in what is now 
the State of Iowa. "Black Hawk" was captured, and the 
fighting ceased. This warlike chief afterwards made a 
visit to some of the eastern cities of the United States. 
This trip taught him that it was useless for the red men to 
contend with their more powerful white brothers. 

4. Nullification. — The people of South Carolina 
-jooo thought each State had the right to decide for 

itself whether or not it would submit to the new 
law about taxing imported goods. A convention of dele- 
gates met in that State, and passed a resolution called the 
'' Nullification Ordinance.''^ It declared that the Tariff Act 
was a violation of the constitution, because it was intended 
to protect manufactures, and not to raise a revenue for the 
general government; for the same reason, the act was pro- 
nounced null and void. The resolution also declared that 
the duties would not be paid in that State. 

A proclamation from the president informed the people 
of South Carolina that they would be compelled to observe 
the tariff law. South Carolina answered that if the tariff 
were forced upon her, the State would secede from the 
Union. 

5. The Compromise. — Henry Clay offered a resolution 



1833 TARIFFS. 189 

^^^oq in Congress for the gradual reduction of the tariff. 
Mr. Calhoun, who had resigned the office of vice- 
president, and who had been re-elected to the Senate, accepted 
the compromise as satisfactory to the people of South Car- 
olina. The resolution was adopted by Congress and quiet 
was restored. 

6. Calhoun,* Clay,^ and Webster," three eminent states- 
men, had entered Congress during Mr. Madison's adminis- 
tration ; they spent many years as members of that body. 
Each engaged in the spirited debates on tariffs and nullifi- 
cation. 

»John Caldwell Calhoun was born in 1782. He was a native of South 
Carolina ; and was at one time a member of the Legislature of that State. 
Afterward he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate, where his 
genius and his eloquence made his name a familiar one in every part of 
the Union. He was a strong advocate of State's rights, and the active 
part which he took against the tariff question, won for him the name of 
the "great nullifier." At one time, he held the oflBce of secretary of war. 
He was also vice-president during part of one term. He is still remem- 
bered as one of the greatest statesmen the country has produced. He 
was a member of the Senate at the time of his death, which occurred in 
1850. 

b Henry Clay, the senator who offered the Compromise Bill, was also 
the pride of the American people. He was born in Virginia, in 1777, but 
his father removed to Lexington, Kentucky, when he was quite a child. 
After he had been chosen as a candidate for the presidency, he was told 
that his Compromise Bill would probably keep him from being elected. 
He answered, "I would rather be right than be president." He died in 
1852. 

« The parents of Daniel Webster lived in Massachusetts, where he was 
born in 1782 ; though they were poor, they felt the importance of edu- 
cating their children. After he left college, he studied law. He was 
sent to Congress from his native State, and became a prominent leader in 
the debates that were engaging the attention of the people. He and Mr, 
Calhoun differed about some questions of " State's Rights," and "Federal 
Government," and their famous speeches upon these subjects are still 
read with interest. He also died in 1852, four months after the death of 
Mr. Clay. 



190 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1836 

7. The National Bank..— A bill for re-chartering 
-.000 the United States Bank passed both houses of 

Congress; but the president refused to sign the 
bill because he thought it was unconstitutional. Before 
the charter expired, in 1833, he had all the public money 
removed from the bank. Many disapproved this act, 
and were very bitter in their opposition to him. The 
people soon became divided into two parties. Those who 
opposed President Jackson called themselves WhigSy and 
those who favored him were the Democrats. The democrats 
held to some of the beliefs of the old republican party. 
The whigs succeeded the federals. 

8. Removal of the Indians Westward.— During the 
fiist year of this term, a bill was passed in Congress for mov- 
ing all of the Indian tribes to a region west of the Missis- 
sippi, where they could not endanger the settlements along 
the frontier, and where they could live in a way that suited 
the habits of their wild life. The Indian Territory was 
afterward organized, and a portion given to the Cherokees 
of Georgia. Still later, the task of removing them was 
assigned to General Scott. 

9. The Florida War. — Although a treaty had been 
wgor made in Florida with the Seminole Indians, 

in which they had promised to leave their old 
homes and hunting grounds, there were some who refused 
to go. The attempt to compel them to leave Florida 
brought on war. General Scott commanded the military 
force sent against them. The first warlike act was the mur- 
der of the United States agent, who had put their chief, 

The Cold Saturday. — One of the most severe winters ever known in 
this country was that of 1834-5. The entire surface of the Chesapeake 
Bay was frozen over. February 7 is remembered all through the South as 
the *' Cold Saturday y As far south as Augusta, the Savannah river was 
covered with ice, and at St. Augustine, Fla., the orange trees were killed. 



1837 VAN BTJREN^S ADMINISTRATION. I9l 

Osceola, in prison, because of his unwillingness to obey the 
terms of the treaty. 

10. Major Dade. — About one hundred United States 
troops, commanded by Major Dade, were marching toward 
a fort near the Withlacoochee, when they were surprised by 
a body of Seminoles in ambush. Major Dade and his whole 
command were killed. Only one man escaped. 

Afterward, several battles were fought with Osceola's 
forces near the Withlacoochee river. The whole country 
along the borders of Florida was exposed to the horrors of 
the Indian war. Slaves were captured, many houses were 
robbed and burned, and their inmates compelled to flee to 
the forts for safety. 

1 1. Arkansas became one of the United States in 1836, 
and the next year, Michigan was admitted. ^ 



CHAPTER XL 
VAN buren's administration — 1837-1841. 

1. Inauguration.— Martin Van Buren, of New York, 
was inaugurated the eighth president, March 4, 1837. He 
rode to the capital with ex-President Jackson, in a beauti- 
ful phaeton made from the wood of the old ship " Constitu- 
tion." 

2. The Principal Events of this administration were : 
1, The panic of 1837. 2. The Canadian rebellion. 3. The 
continuation of the Florida war. 4. The passage of the 
Sub-Treasury Bill. 5. The beginning of the discussions on 
the subject of slavery. 

3. The Panic— Before the opening of this presidential 

term, the inhabitants of the United States were in 
a very prosperous condition. The war debt had 



192 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1840 

been paid, and there were nearly forty millions of dollars 
left in the treasury. This money was loaned among the 
different States. A great many banks were established 
throughout the country. They circulated more paper 
money than they could pay for in gold and silver. A great 
part of the business was done on credit, and large specula- 
tions were made. This state of things had continued two 
or three years, when failures began among the merchants. 
The failures in New York city amounted to more than one 
hundred millions of dollars. The banks suspended specie 
payments, which means that they were not able to redeem 
their money. The loss was felt throughout the whole land. 
Large sums of money which had been borrowed from for- 
eign countries, to pay for the building of railroads and 
other public works, could not be paid because the revenue 
was not large enough for all the expenses of the govern- 
ment. 

A petition from merchants and bankers was sent to the 
president, asking him to give a longer time for the pay- 
ment of the duties for which they had given bonds, and to 
change the orders which required the duties to be paid in 
gold or silver. 

4. Congress Called. — He extended the time for col- 
lecting the duties, and called an extra session of Congress 
to make further arrangements for their relief. At this 
meeting, an act was passed for issuing ten millions of dol- 
lars in treasury notes — that is, paper money. This relieved 
the people in a degree, but industry and time were required 
to bring back the prosperity of other days. 

5. The Sub-Treasury Bill. — President Van Buren 
-lOAQ brought before Congress a plan by which the reve- 
nues should be paid in gold and silver, and by which 

the public money, instead of being deposited in banks, 
should be placed in the keeping of officers, to be appointed 



1837 THE CANADA REBELLION. 193 

in different cities, called sub-treasurers. This was at first 
opposed in Congress, but finally passed under the name of 
the Sub-Treasury Bill. 

6. The Canadian Rebellion.— Some of the people 
1837 ^^ Canada became dissatisfied with the govern- 
ment of Great Britain, and determined to assert 

their independence as the United States had done. There 
were persons in New York, living near the Canada bound- 
ary, who sympathized with the Canadians, and went to help 
them. As the United States was then at peace with Great 
Britain, a proclamation from the president called them 
home, and ordered them to have nothing to do with the 
affairs of Canada. The rebellion was soon crushed, after 
which the citizens became quiet. 

7. The Florida War had not yet been brought to a close, 

and General Jessup was appointed to command the 

United States forces. Osceola was captured and 

sent to Fort Moultrie, where he was kept until his death. 

8. The Battle of Okeechobee.— Colonel Zachary 
Dec ^5 Taylor fought a desperate battle with the In- 

^^_ ' dians, on Christmas day. The Seminoleswere on 
an island in Lake Okeechobee, and Colonel Tay- 
lor's men had to pass several hundred yards through water 
breast deep to reach them. Many of his soldiers were 
killed, but the Indians were defeated. After this battle, the 
savages fled to the Everglades. The fighting did not cease 
until 1842. By that time, so many of the Seminoles had 
been killed that they were not able longer to resist. 

9. The Abolition of Slavery. — The question of 
-jr.07 abolishing the custom of owning negro slaves was 

discussed in Congress for the first time during this 
administration. Attention was called to the subject by 
Ex-President John Quincy Adams, who was then in Con- 
gress. He first offered a petition for abolishing slavery in 
17 



194 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1842 

the District of Columbia, but afterwards his petition em- 
braced the States. Mr. Calhoun prepared a set of resolu- 
tions, which showed Mr. Adams' petition to be unconstitu- 
tional, and Congress decided the question by adopting Mr. 
Calhoun's resolutions. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER — 1841-1845. 

Inauguration. — William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, 
who had commanded the army of the West during the late 
war with England, was inaugurated March 4, 1841, as the 
ninth president. John Tyler, of Virginia, was the vice-pres- 
ident. The Whigs had been opposed to the Sub-Treasury 
Bill, and, although Mr. Van Buren was again a candidate 
for president, they would not vote for him. 

2. The President's Death. — President Harrison had 

filled his office just one month, when a severe at- 
April 4. ^^^^ ^^ pneumonia suddenly ended his life. 

3. Tyler's Inauguration. — According to the con- 
stitution, Mr. Tyler succeeded President Harrison, and was 
inaugurated the tenth president. 

4. Events. — The most important events of this adminis- 
tration were : 1. The settlement of the northeastern bound- 
ary with Great Britain. 2. The completion of the first line 
of telegraph. 3. The admission of Iowa and Florida. 4. 
Diplomatic intercourse with, China. 5. The admission of 
Texas. 

5. The North-Eastern Boundary.— There had been 

some difficulties between Maine and New Bruns- 

«/ ' ^^^^ about the territory claimed by both govern- 

ments. The matter was finally settled by a treaty 



1835 COMPLETION OF THE TELEGRAPH. 195 

with Great Britain, which decided exactly the line of di- 
vision between the United States and the provinces be- 
longing to Great Britain on the northeast. 

6. The Telegraph.— The first line of telegraph was 

completed between Washington City and Baltimore 
in 1844, by Professor Morse, who was the inventor. 
Congress gave him thirty thousand dollars for the expenses 
that his work required, and the use of a room in the capitol, 
while he was getting the wires in working order. His in- 
vention proved to be a wonderful success. The first dispatch 
sent was the announcement that Mr. Polk had been nomi- 
nated by the Democratic convention for president. 

7. Iowa and Florida were admitted as States by Con- 
gress the next year, (1845.) 

8. China. — During this administration, agents from the 
United States government were received in China. This 
was the first time that people had allov/ed any intercourse 
with other nations. 

9. Texas.— This province had been for a long time a 
part of Mexico. A large number of the inhabitants were 
from the United States, and they had become discontented 
under the government of Mexico. They made a declaration 
of independence about this time, and prepared to fight for 
their rights. Henry Smith was elected governor, and Gen- 
eral Sam. Houston (hews-ton) commander-in-chief of the 
army. The soldiers marched under a flag " with a single 
star," which had been chosen as an emblem for the new 
province. 

10. Battles in Texas. — Fighting began soon after the 

declaration of independence. In the battle of Gon- 

' zales (gon-zah-les), the Texans were victorious. 

After the retreat of the Mexicans, Santa Anna, their general, 

returned and took Fort Alamo. Every Texan at the fort was 

killed. General Houston fell back to San Jacinto. Santa 



196 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1846 

Anna followed and attacked him. The Mexican army was 

completely routed, and Santa Anna made a prisoner. He 

then agreed to acknowlege the independence of Texas. 

11. Annexation of Texas. — Texas embraced an area 

one-third the size of the ''original thirteen" colo- 

• nies, and was quite an important acquisition for 

the United States. After some spirited discussions as to the 

terms upon which Texas should be admitted to the Union, 

the matter was decided by a joint resolution of Congress, 

three days before Mr. Tyler's term of office expired. The 

" Lone Star State " then became a member of the Union. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

folk's ADMINISTRATION — 1845-1849. 

1. Inauguration. — James K. Polk, of Tennessee, was 
elected the eleventh president, and was inaugurated March 
4, 1845. His vice-president was George M. Dallas, of Penn- 
sylvania. 

2. The most Important Events of his administration 
were : 1. The settlement of the northwestern boundary and 
the occupation of Oregon. 2. The war with Mexico. 3. 
The conquest of California and the discover}^ of gold. 4. The 
admission of Wisconsin. 5. The discussion in Congress of 
the question of slavery in the new territories. 

3. The North- Western Boundary. -The United States 

claimed all the country watered by the Columbia 
river, and the British government claimed the 
northern part of America along the Pacific coast. They 
agreed that Oregon should be occupied by the traders of 
both countries, jointly, for a certain number of years. In 
1846, a treaty was made by which the country was divided. 
This made the 49th parallel the boundary of the United 



1846 THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 197 

States. Two years afterward, Oregon was organized into a 
Territory, from which have since been made the State of 
Oregon and the Territories of Washington and Idaho. 

THE MEXICAN WAR — 1846-1848. 

4. Causes. — The war with Mexico was brought about 
by the annexation of Texas to the United States. The Mexi- 
cans still claimed that Texas • belonged to them, and they 
determined to hold it by force of arms. 

5. General Taylor.— President Polk sent General 
Zachery Taylor to resist an invasion from Mexico. As 
Texas had made the Rio Grande river her southwestern 
boundary, General Taylor marched early the next spring to 
defend the border. He built Fort Brown on its eastern 
bank, opposite to the city of Matamoras. The Mexicans 
crossed the river and he fought with them at Palo Alto. 
Although their army largely outnumbered General Tay- 
lor's, this battle was a victory for the Texans. 

6. Battle of Rasaca de la Palma. — The enemy re- 

treated to a place near Resaca de la Palma (ra-sah- 
i«Ja ' kah-da-lah-pahl-mah), not more than three miles 
• from Fort Brown. There General Taylor found 
them in the afternoon of the next day, and at that place he 
fought another battle. The Mexicans were again defeated. 
They retreated at once to the western side of the Rio 
Grande. General Taylor crossed the river soon afterward 
and occupied the town of Matamoras. 

7. Plans. — The plans ibr carrying on the war were to at- 
tack in three different places, for which reason the army 
was separated into three divisions. General Taylor's com- 
mand was to march from Matamoras ; General Kearney's 
through New Mexico to California ; and General Wool with 
his division was to march into the northern provinces of 
Mexico. 



198 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1846 

8. Monterey. — Reinforcements increased General Tay- 

lor's army to six thousand five hundred men 
^P • ~ * before he advanced to Monterey (monta-ray)j 
where nine thousand Mexicans waited to oppose him. 
There were strong forts in dififerent parts of the town de- 
fended by heavy cannon. General Taylor led the attack on 
one side, while one of his generals advanced through the 
mountains upon it from another direction. At the end of 
four days, the place was surrendered to him. 

A few weeks later, Saltillo (sahl-teel-yo) was taken by 
General Taylor's forces, and afterward Tampico fell into the 
hands of Commodore Perry, who approached with his fleet 
from the Gulf. 

9. General Kearney (kdr-ne) began his march at 

Fort Leavenworth, and as he moved forward he 
-io7o found but little difficulty in obtaining possession 

of New Mexico. At Santa Fe, he established a new 
government. After that was accomplished, he marched on 
to California. 

10. California. — John C. Fremont had been sent out 
before the war to survey the country between the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. After arriving in Cali- 
fornia, which was then a part of Mexico, he obtained per- 
mission to spend the winter there ; but, in a short time, he 
was ordered to leave the country. While the governor was 
preparing to drive him out, he built a fort on the top of a 
mountain, upon which he hoisted the United States flag. 
Because of the difficulty of obtaining supplies, he returned 
to the Pacific coast, and the settlers joined him. Commo- 
dore Stockton, of the United States navy, reached Monte- 
rey, in California, about that time, and, with his assistance, 
Fremont soon succeeded in forcing the Mexicans into the 
southern part of the country. Soon after this, California 
declared itself an independent State. 



1847 THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 199 

1847. 

11. Another Campaign. — The United States gene- 
rals knew that the capture of Vera Cruz, on the Gulf of 
Mexico, would be an important victory for them ; they also 
believed that the possession of the capital of Mexico would 
close the war. General Scott was sent with an army 
against Vera Cruz, with instructions to proceed from that 
place to the cit}^ of Mexico. A large part of General Tay- 
lor's force was ordered to reinforce him. After this change. 
General Scott was given the chief command in Mexico. 

12. Buena Vista. — Santa Anna, who was again in 

^ , ^^ command of the Mexican forces, brought an 

Feb 22 23 > & 

'\M7 ' ^^^y ^^ twenty thousand men to attack 
General Taylor at Saltillo. After rein- 
forcing General Scott, General Taylor was very much weak- 
ened, but he stationed his troops in a narrow pass in the 
mountains at Buena Vista (bw'anah ve'es-tah), eleven 
miles from Saltillo, and waited for the enemy. Colonel Jef- 
ferson Davis commanded a Mississippi regiment and took 
a prominent part in the battle fought there. His regiment, 
with the help of Bragg's and Sherman's artillery, at last 
compelled the enemy to retreat. Just before the close of 
the battle. General Taylor encouraged the men by calling 
to their commander, ^^Give them a little more grape, Captain 
Bragg f^ The victory of Buena Vista so broke the strength 
of the Mexicans, that General Scott was able to move 
all his army against Vera Cruz and the City of Mexico. 

13. Vera Cruz. - General Scott landed twelve thousand 

men near Vera Cruz, which was defended 
March 18-27. by the strongest castle in Mexico. When 

his preparations were completed, he began 
a destructive fire upon the city from the batteries which he 
had erected upon the land and from his fleet in the harbor. 



200 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1848 

This was continued nearly nine days. At the end of that 
time, the Mexicans consented to surrender to him the town 
and the castle. 

14. Cerro Gordo. — General Scott's next movement was 

toward the city of Mexico. On the way, he 
April 18. found Santa Anna's army of twelve thousand 

men strongly fortified in a rocky gap in the 
mountains. The United States engineers, R. E. Lee and 
Gustave Beauregard, opened a road through the mountains, 
by which their forces were led beyond the enemy. The 
Mexicans were surprised, and a great victory was gained. 
Many of them fled. Santa Anna, in his haste, left his wooden 
leg, which was brought to the United States, and dressed in 
a handsome boot for exhibition. 

15. The City of Mexico was defended by forts and cas- 
Q , w o ties along the roads that led to it, and at some of 

' ' them. General Scott found the enemy in large 
numbers. Battles were fought at Cherubusco, at the Molino 
del Rey, and at Chapultepec. September 12, General Scott's 
army fought all day very near the capital. When night 
came, the Mexican soldiers left the city, and the next 
morning his army marched in and took possession. 

16. The Treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo.— The war 

soon came to an end after these victories, and 
I^S^"^ ^ treaty of peace was made, which is known 
as the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo (gwa- 
dah-166-pa he-dah'1-go), from the place at which it was made. 
It gave New Mexico and California to the United States, 
which with Texas amounted to more than six hundred and 
thirty thousand square miles. By its terms, our govern- 
ment paid fifteen millions of dollars, and became responsi- 
ble for all the debts which Mexico owed to citizens of the 
United States— the amount of the debts being about three 
millions. 



1848 GOLD IN CALIFORNIA. 201 

This war cost the United States about twenty-five thou- 
sand men and one hundred and sixty millions of dollars. 

17. Gold in California.— About the time that the 

war in Mexico closed, gold was discovered on the 
Sacramento river in California. While at work, 
building a sawmill, a man by the name of Mercer noticed 
in the sand below the dam a shining substance which he 
found to be gold. He and the owner of the mill tried to 
keep the discovery a secret, but the news spread rapidly 
through California, and then eastwardly to the Atlantic 
States. Crowds of men, everywhere, left their homes to dig 
gold in California. Two years after this discovery, the pop- 
ulation of San Francisco had increased to one hundred 
thousand. Immense fortunes were made, and it has been 
estimated that, by the year 1870, one thousand millions of 
dollars in gold were taken from the mines of California. 

18. The Wilmot Proviso. — A short time after war was 

declared between Mexico and the United States, 
^oAo ' the president, in a message to Congress, asked 

for an appropriation of three millions of dol- 
lars, that he might make a treaty with Mexico for a portion 
of territory which did not then belong to Texas. While a 
bill for granting this money was before Congress, Mr. Wil- 
mot, of Pennsylvania, added an amendment, which excluded 
slavery from any Territory that should in future be an- 
nexed to the United States. This amendment was called 
the " Wilmot Proviso.'^ It produced great excitement in 
Congress, and among the people everywhere. The Senate 
voted against it and it was lost. Those who favored this 
Proviso were called " Free Soilers. " 

19. Wisconsin. — During the excited discussions on this 

subject, Wisconsin was admitted as the thirtieth 
^^^^' State, of the Union. 
18 



202 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1860 

CHAPTER XIV. 

ADMINISTRATIONS OP TAYLOR AND FILLMORE— 1849-1853. 

1. Inauguration. — General Zachary Taylor, who had 
become so distinguished in the Mexican war, was elected as 
the Whig candidate, and was inaugurated the twelfth 
president, Monday, March 5, 1849. He was a native 
of Virginia, but he was at that time a citizen of Louisiana. 
Millard Fillmore, of New York, was elected vice-president. 

2. The Most Important Events of this term were : 
1. The introduction of Mr. Clay's Compromise. 2. The ad- 
mission of California. 

3. California. — The wonderful discoveries of gold made 

the Territories along the Pacific grow in value and 
' importance. A part of California lay south of the 
parallel 36° 30', which had been agreed upon as the divid- 
ing line between the free Territories and the slave States. 
The Northern States wanted slavery excluded from the gold 
region, and the Southerners thought they ought to have 
the right to take their slaves with them to the mines. Con- 
gress was the scene of long and exciting debates upon this 
question between the North and South. The subject be- 
came one of intense interest to all classes. The press 
of both sections kept it before the people. The popula- 
tion of the mining region had increased so rapidly that, 
in 1849, California asked to be admitted as a State. Before 
sending this petition to Congress, the people there had 
adopted a constitution which would not allow slavery. 

4. The Five Bleeding Wounds.—" The Great Trio;' 

Calhoun, Clay and Webster, were again members 

• of Congress, in 1850, and 3ach took a prominent 

part in the debates that were then interesting the people. 



1850 THE OMNIBUS BILL. 203 

The trouble about the admission of California had not been 
ended, when New Mexico and Utah pent a request to become 
members of the Union. At the same time, Texas set up a 
claim to a part of New Mexico. A movement had also been 
made to abolish the slave trade in the District of Columbia. 
The slave-holders were asking the right to arrest and bring 
back their slaves who ran away to the free States. Mr. 
Clay called these questions, which were then before Con- 
gress, " the five bleeding wounds.'^ 

5. The Compromise or Omnibus Bill. Mr. Clay of- 
fered a set of resolutions by which he hoped each of these 
"bleeding wounds" could be healed. It was called the 
'' Omnibus BiW because it finally came before Congress in 
the shape of one bill to cover all the difficulties under dis- 
cussion. It provided : first, that California should be ad- 
mitted according to her constitution ; second, that New 
Mexico and Utah should be organized into Territories and 
left to decide the question of slavery for themselves ; third, 
that Texas should be paid ten millions of dollars for its 
claim on New Mexico, and a boundary be made ; fourth, 
that the slave trade should be abolished in the District of 
Columbia; fifth, that slaves who had left their masters 
should be arrested in the free States and returned to their 
owners. This last law was called the " Fugitive Slave Law.''^ 

6. Objections. — Each party found something to oppose 
in this Bill. The South contended that Congress ought to 
have nothing to do with slavery in the Territories, and that 
when States were admitted, the question should be left for 
them to decide. The people of the slave States said they 
were willing to divide the public land with the North, but 
they were not willing to give up all right to it, because they 
had done equally as much as any other section to gain its 
possession, both by enlisting men in the army and by con- 
tributing money. 



204 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1853 

7. Death of Mr. Calhoun. — During this session of 
March SI Congress, Mr. Calhoun's health had become so 

feeble that he was unable to deliver his speech 
on the Compromise. It was read by one of the 

Senators from Virginia. His death occurred a few weeks 

afterward. 

8. Death of President Taylor. — In July of this year, 
J 1 Q President Taylor died in Washington, after a short 

' illness. He was succeeded by the vice-president, 
1850. Millard Fillmore. 

9. The Compromise Bill Passed.— Continued and bit- 

ter debates in Congress claimed the attention of 
1 j^'^n 

both sections. At last, Mr. Clay's Bill was changed 

so that Utah could be admitted to the Union " with or with- 
out slavery," as its people should prefer. The other parts 
of the bill were afterward adopted separately. 

10. California. — After the settlement of the question of 
1850. slavery in the Territories, California was re- 
ceived as one of the States of the Union, in 1850. 

11. Death of Clay and Webster.— Near the close of 

this administration, another sorrow and another 

1<50Z. ]^gg^yy ]^Qgg Came to the people of America in the 

death of two of their greatest statesmen — Clay and Webster. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Pierce's administration — 1853-1857. 

1. Inauguration. — Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, 
was elected as the Democratic candidate, and was inaugur- 
ated the fourteenth president, March 4, 1853. William R. 
King, of Alabama, was elected vice-president, 



1854 THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. 205 

2. The Principal Events of this administration were: 
1. The settlement of the boundary of Texas and the pur- 
chase of Arizona. 2. The resistance of the Fugitive Slave 
Law. 3. The passage of the Kansas and Nebraska Bill. 

3. The Gadsden Purchase. — A short time after the 
beginning of this term, a treaty was made with Mexico, by 
which the boundary of the western side was extended much 
farther south. Twenty millions of dollars were paid to 
Mexico, and Arizona became the property of the United 
States. This was called the ^^ Gadsden Purchase.^' Besides 
gaining new territory in this way, the disputed question of 
boundary with Mexico was decided. 

4. The Fugitive Slave La"W was the cause of further 
trouble in some of the Northern States. A slave was taken 
by force from the government oflScers in Syracuse, New 
York. Two others were taken in the same way in Boston, 
Massachusetts, where the military had to be called out to 
assist the officers. The Legislatures of some of the States 
passed laws called '^Personal Liberty Bills,'' which required 
a trial by jury before a slave could be returned to his owner. 
The Southerners found that it cost more money and trouble 
to recover fugitive slaves than they were worth, because 
they were of comparatively little value as laborers after 
they returned. 

5. The Kansas and Nebraska Bill.— Senator Doug- 

las, of Illinois, introduced a bill in Congress for or- 
' ganizing the Territor}' of Nebraska, which allowed 
the people of that Territory to decide the question of slave- 
ry for themselves. It was afterward changed so as to em- 
brace both Kansas and Nebraska. These Territories were 
within the region purchased from Louisiana and north of 
latitude 36° 30'. If Kansas and Nebraska were made slave 
States, the South would gain four Senators in Congress, that 
is, two from each State, and also their representatives, which 



206 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1854 

would add greatly to its power. The North, too, saw the 
advantage if slavery were banished from these Territories. 
Each section began to work for its own interests. Intense 
excitement was again aroused everywhere. After much op- 
position from the anti-slavery party, the bill was finally 
passed according to the decision made in 1850, that Con- 
gress should not interfere in the matter of slavery. 

6. Emigrant- Aid Societies. — In order to make these 
new Territories free States, the anti-slavery party saw that 
they must be settled by persons who opposed slavery, and 
they organized societies in the North for raising money to 
help emigrants who would go to Kansas and Nebraska. 
Some of the people of the South moved to Kansas with their 
slaves. 

7. Kansas War. — When the first settlements were 
made, the emigrants from the two sections, North and South, 
began to hate each other. This ill-will soon led to fighting 
and bloodshed. The trouble grew to such proportions that 
it has been called the " Kansas War." Arms were provided 
by the Northern societies for the emigrants they had sent. 
In Missouri, "Blue Lodges" were organized, and farther west, 
the "Jaykawkers" carried their guns to fight for the slave- 
holders. The feeling became so bitter that, at one time, 
each party had its own constitution and its own capital. 

8. Know-nothings. — About this time, a new party was 
secretly organized under the name of the American Party, 
which had many members all over the country. Its object 
was to keep foreigners and Roman Catholics from holding 
office in the government. On account of their secrecy, they 
were called " Know-nothings " 

9. Three Parties. — There were now three political par- 
ties in the United States — the Democrats, the Americans, 
and the Anti-slavery men or Republicans. The Democrats 
declared themselves in favor of allowing Congress to have 



1857 Buchanan's administration. 207 

nothing to do with slavery in the Territories, and the elec- 
tion of their candidate, James Buchanan, showed that the 
majority of the people were satisfied with that decision. 
10. Negotiations with Japan. — The people of Japan 
had always kept the vessels of foreign nations away 
from their shores ; but before the close of this ad- 
ministration, Commodore Perry, who had been sent out for 
that purpose, succeeded in making a treaty with that na- 
tion, by which its ports were opened to strangers. This 
treaty, and that made with China about ten years before, 
opened to the influences of Christianity and civilization an 
immense territory, which had lain for ages under the dark- 
ness of heathenism. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Buchanan's administration — 1857-1861. 

1. Inauguration. — James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, 
was inaugurated the fifteenth president, March 4, 1857. 
John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, had been elected vice- 
president. 

2. The Principal Events of this term were: 1. Trou- 
ble in Utah and Kansas ; 2. The decision of the Supreme 
Court in the Dre-1 Scott case; 3. The admission of Minne- 
sota; 4. The completion of the Ocean Telegraph; 5. The 
admission of Oregon; 6. John Brown's raid; 7. The seces- 
sion of the Southern States; 8. The formation of the 
Southern Confederacy ; 9. The admission of Kansas. 

3. The Mormons were the first white settlers in Utah. 
Joseph Smith, of Vermont, was the founder of the sect. 
He pretended to have seen an angel who told him that God 
had something to tell him, that it had been written out for 



208 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1859 

him, and that it could be found by digging in the earth in 
a certain place. He afterward declared that he had dug 
up from the earth plates of gold, upon which were written 
the laws of his religion. He called it the Book of Mormons. 
According to the laws of this book, a man might have as 
many wives as he wished. Brigham Young became the 
prophet after Smith's death, and he was made governor. 
Some difficulties between Brigham Young and officers sent 
out by the United States induced the president to send 
General Albert Sidney Johnston with troops to Utah to 
keep order. He soon succeeded in putting an end to the 
trouble, (1857.) 

4. The Dred Scott Case. — Two negroes, Dred Scott 
and his wife, were taken by their masters to Illinois, and 
then to Missouri. They claimed their freedom, because 
their owner had taken them north of the ^^ Compromise Line, ^^ 
36° 30'. The case was taken before the Supreme Court of 
the United States. The court decided that, as Congress had 
no right to make such a law, it could not be enforced ; and 
that the constitution allowed any citizen to go into any 
Territory with his slaves or any other property, with the 
promise of protection. 

5. Minnesota became one of the States in 1858. 

6. The Atlantic Cable was landed in America the 

same year. The first messages sent were from 
* Queen Victoria and President Buchanan. 

7. Oregon was enrolled as one of the United States the 
next year, (1859.) 

8. John Brown's Raid. — John Brown, an old man 
^ , .„ who had taken a prominent part in the war 

-lo'rq ' in Kansas, began, in October, 1859, to carry out 

his plans for freeing the slaves. He collected 

a party of men, who had been armed for the purpose, and 

led them to Harper's Ferry in Virginia. There he took 



1861 SECESSION. 209 

possession of the arsenal, intending to arm the slaves for 
an insurrection in Virginia. His intention was to carry it 
onward through the South. The negroes did not join him 
as he expected they would. The government sent a body 
of troops, commanded by Colonel R. E. Lee, against him. 
Several of John Brown's men in the arsenal were killed, 
and others wounded before they would consent to surrender. 
With the exception of a few who escaped, all were captured. 
He and six of the men with him were afterward tried, 
condemned, and hung, as violators of the laws of Virginia. 

9. Four Parties and Four Candidates.— The coun- 
try had become divided into four political parties, and each 
party nominated its own candidate for president. John C. 
Breckinridge, of Kentucky, was brought forward by the 
Southern Democrats ; Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, by 
the Democrats of the North ; John Bell, of Tennessee, by 
the Americans or Know-nothings ; and Abraham Lincoln, 
of Illinois, by the Republicans. 

10. Abraham Lincoln was elected, though none of ^ the 
Southern States had voted for him ; their votes had been 
divided among the other candidates.* 

a Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, in 1809, but before he was 
old enough to remember much about his home there, his father moved 
to the frontiers of Indiana. His parents were plain, uneducated people, 
and he grew up as a farmer boy, ploughing corn and splitting rails. His 
mother taught him to read and write. When he was twenty-one, he be- 
gan work for himself— splitting wood by the month, hiring as a laborer 
on a flat boat, as a clerk in a country store, as postmaster, or engaging in 
any other kind of employment that he could find. He managed to study 
•law by borrowing books from a lawyer at night, and returning them in 
the morning. After he was admitted to the bar, he showed a taste for 
politics. First, he became a member of the Legislature of Illinois, then 
he was electei to Congress, and, finally, he received the nomination for 
president. The most noted event of his administration was the Emanci- 
pation Proclamation. He won the hearts of the people among whom he 
lived, and many honors have been paid to his memory. He is remem- 
bered as the " Martyred President." 
19 



210 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1861 



Dec. 20, 
186C. 



11. Secession. — A convention was called by the people 
of South Carolina, in which a resolution was pass- 
ed known as the Ordinance of Secession. This 
ordinance declared "the Union between the State 

of South Carolina and the other States united with her 
under the compact, entitled the Constitution of the United 
States," dissolved. 

12. Six Other States. — By the first of February, six 
other States had followed South Carolina's example. Mis- 
sissippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had de- 
clared themselves no longer members of the Union. 

13. The Southern Confedercay.— Delegates were 
immediately elected and sent by these States to 



Feb. 4, 
1861. 



Montgomery, Alabama, where another Union, 
under another Constitution, was formed. To 
this new Union was given 
the name of '^The Confederate 
States of America^ The con- 
stitution was very much like 
that of the United States. A 
provisional government was 
organized for one year, until 
all of its laws could be sub- 
mitted to the people. Jeffer- 
son Davis,'' of Mississippi, 
was elected president, and 
Alexander H. Stephens,'' of 
Georgia, vice-president. 
JEFFERSON DAVIS. 1^. Inauguration.-Jcf- 

^Jefferson Davis was born in what is now Todd county, Kentucky, 
June 3, 1808. A few years after his birth, his father removed to the Ter- 
ritory of Mississippi, and the boy grew up a citizen of that State. At 
the age of sixteen, he entered the Military Academy at West Point. Af- 
ter his graduation, he entered service with the United States troops in the 




REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 211 

ferson Davis was inaugurated president, in Montgomery, 
Alabama, February 18, 1861, for a term of one year. 

15. Kansas, which had been the cause and the scene 
i oni of so much trouble, entered the Union as a State, in 
^^^^- 1861. 

16. The Peace Congress.— There were many who 

loved the Union, and who would have been glad to 

?r.^-j ' find some honorable way for the return of the se- 
ceded States. Virginia proposed that a Peace Con- 
West, where the Indians had become unfriendly and troublesome. 
Nearly five years had been passed upon the frontier, when he resigned 
his commission and returned home. There he marrif d a daughter of 
Colonel Zachary Taylor, and engaged in the cultivation of cotton. 

Ten years later, he was elected to Congress as a representative from 
Mississippi. When a call was made for volunteers in the war with 
Mexico, he resigned his seat in Congress and offered his sword for his 
country's service. He went as Colonel of the First Mississippi Regiment, 
and won distinction as a brave officer under General Taylor's leader- 
ship. 

After his return from Mexico, he was elected to the United States Sen- 
ate, where he became an able champion of State's Rights. When the 
Southern States seceded from the Union, he was chosen president of the 
Confederacy, which office he continued to fill until the close of the war. 

^Alexander Hamilton Stephens was born September 11, 1812, near 
Crawfordville, Ga. His early education was obtained by attending, at 
irregular intervals, the " old field school," taught in the neighborhood of 
his home. After his father's death, a wealthy gentleman, who had no- 
ticed his studious habits, proposed to send him to a larger school in the 
town of Washington, Wilkes county. This was done with the intention 
of preparing him for the ministry, though nothing was said to him of 
the plan until after he had consented to the arrangement. His remark- 
able progress in study was soon reported by his teacher, and he was con- 
tinued in school under the care of the Georgia Educational Society. 

From Washington, he went to the State University, in Athens, Ga., 
where he remained until his graduation. Of his life there, he has said : 
" I was never absent from roll-call without a good cause ; was never fined; 
and to the best of my knowledge, never had a demerit against me." He 
had begun to feel less and less inclined to enter the work of the ministry, 
9,nd, after two years spent iri college, he decided to return the mon ey 



212 HISTOKY OF THE UNrTED STATES. 1861 

gress of delegates from all the States should meet in Wash- 
ington. Seven Southern States were represented and thir- 
teen Northern States ; the delegates met, according to this 
call, in February, but nothing could be done. 

17. Peace Commissioners. — The Confederate govern- 
ment sent three commissioners to Washington to make a 
settlement with the United States government, to offer to 
pay ofif its part of the public debt, and to demand its share 
of the public property. President Buchanan would not re- 
ceive them. 

Before this, the Confederate government had taken pos- 
session of all the forts and arsenals within its boundaries, 
except Fort Sumter, at Charleston, South Carolina, Fort 
Pickens, on Santa Rosa Island, near Pensacola, Florida, 
and the forts on the islands near the southern coast of Flor- 
ida. No effort had been made to retake them. 

which had been expended upon his education and pay his own way for 
the rest of the time. This his uncle, who was the guardian of his small 
property, allowed him to do. He had grown up a frail, slender boy, "his 
dark, brilliant eyes glowing from a pale face that had never known and 
never would know the hue of health." 

His public life began with his election to the Georgia Legislature, in 
1836. Previous to that time, he had been admitted to the bar, and was 
engaged in the practice of law. At the age of thirty-one, he went to 
Congress as a representative from Georgia. He continued to t ake a prom- 
inent part in the debates which occupied the attention of that body, un- 
til 1858. He served as vice-president of the Confederacy from the be- 
ginning until the close of the war. After the surrender of the Southern 
armies, Mr. Stephens was captured in his home by Federal soldiers and 
sent as a prisoner to Fort Warren, in Boston harbor. He was released 
on parole after an imprisonment of five months. When he returned to 
Georgia, he wrote his "History of the War between the States," and 
"History of the United States." In 1873, he was again elected a rep- 
resentative in Congress. He was governor of Georgia at the time of his 
death, in 1883. 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



213 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM 1789. 



Washington's administration. 

1789 General Washington was inaugurated president. 

1790 Trouble began with the Indians of the Northwest. 

1792 The Whiskey Insurrection was suppressed. 

1793 Trouble began with France. 

ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 

1799 General Washington died. 

1800 The difficulties with France were ended by treaty . 
The Capital was changed to Washington City. 

Jefferson's administration. 

1801 War began with Tripoli. 

1803 The Louisiana Purchase was made. 

1804 The Columbia River was explored. 

1805 The war with Tripoli ended. 

1806 England began to exercise the right of search. 

1807 The battle between the "Chesapeake" and the "Leopard." 
Congress passed the Embargo Act. 

Robert Fulton completed the first steamboat. 

TOPICS FOR review. 

1. State the important events of Washington's administration. 

2. Give the early history of Kentucky. 

3. Give an account of the difficulties with France. 

4. What were the principal events of Adams' administration? 

5. What foreign troubles arose during this term ? 

6. What events marked Mr. Jefi'erson's administration? 

7. State the facts in relation to the Louisiana purchase. 

8. Write the history of the war with Tripoli. 

9. Give an account of the invention of the steamboat. 



1811 

1812 

1813 



Madison's administration — 1809. 

The Battle of Tippecanoe. 

The Battle between the "President" and the "Little Belt." 

The United States declared war with Great Britain. 

General Hull invaded Canada, returned and surrendered De- 
troit. 

Naval victories were gained by the "Essex," the "Constitu- 
tion," the "Wasp" and the "United States." 

Frenchtown was captured and surrendered by General Harri- 
son. 

General Dearborn's forces captured Toronto and Fort George. 

Captain Lawrence captured the "Peacock" and was killed on 
board the "Chesapeake." 

Commodore Perry gained a victory on Lake Erie, 



214 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

1813 The Battle of the Thames. 
War began with the Creek Indians in Georgia and Alabama. 
The ''Argus" was captured by the British. 
Georgetown, Havre de Grace and Fredericktown were burned 

by the British. 

1814 The Battle of Lundy's Lane. 
The Battle of Plattsburg. 

General Ross burned the public buildings in Washington. 
Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, was bombarded. 

1815 The Hartford Convention met. 
The Battle of New Orleans. 
The treaty of peace was signed. 
War with Algiers began. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. What were the principal events of Madison's administration? 

2. Name the causes of the War of 1812. 

3. Give the history of this war during 1812. 

4. Give an account of the naval battles in 1812. 

5. What was accomplished by the armies in 1813? 

6. What occurred upon the water during the same year ? 

7. Describe the campaign of 1814. 

8. Give an account of the Hartford Convention. 

9. Describe the Battle of New Orleans. 
10. Tell what you know of the war with Algiers. 



1818 
1819 
1820 
1821 
1824 



Monroe's administration — 1817. 

The Seminole War began in Florida. 
The first steamship was completed. 
Congress passed the Missouri Compromise Bill. 
Florida and Oregon were ceded by Spain. 
General LaFayette visited the United States. 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION — 1825. 

1825 The Creek Indians made trouble about their treaty. 
The Erie Canal was finished. 

1826 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died. 

1827 The first railroad was built. 

Jackson's administration — 1829. 
1832 



1833 
1835 



The Black Hawk War began. 

South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Nullification. 

A compromise was made by reducing the Tariff. 

President Jackson vetoed the bill for re-chartering the national 

bank. 
Fighting began in Texas. 



KEVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



215 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Name the important events of Monroe's administration. 

2. Give the history of the Seminole War. 

3. Give an account of the first steamship. 

4. Why were the Southern States slave States ? 

5. Explain the ''Missouri Compromise." 

6. What made Florida and Oregon the property of the United 

States? 

7. Give an account of General LaFayette's visit to the United 

States. 

8. What were the important events of John Quincy Adams' ad- 

ministration ? 

9. Where were the first railroads built in this country? 

10. Explain the Tariff Law. 

11. State the principal events of Jackson's administration. 

12. Give the history of Nullification in South Carolina. 

13. Write a sketch of the life of Calhoun, of Clay, and of Web- 

ster. 

MARTIN VAN BUREN's ADMINISTRATION — 1837. 

1837 A. financial panic began. 

The question of abolishing slavery was discussed in Congress. 
The Battle of Okeechobee, in Florida. 

1840 Congress passed the Sub-Treasury Bill. 

1841 President Harrison died. 

1842 The northeastern boundary was settled. 

1844 The first line of telegraph was completed. 

1845 Communications were begun with China. 

1846 The northwestern boundary between the United States and 
Great Britain was settled. 

The Mexican War began. 

The Wilmot Proviso was passed by Congress. 

The battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Monterey. 

The conquest of California was effected. 

1847 The battle of Buena Vista and the bombardment of Vera Cruz. 
The battle of Cerro Gordo, and the capture of the city of Mex- 
ico. 

1848 The war closed by a treaty of peace. 
Gold was discovered in California. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. What were the chief events of Van Buren's administration? 

2. Give an account of the panic of 1837. 

3. Name the principal events of the administrations of Harrison 
and Tyler. 

4. In what way was the northeastern boundary settled ? 

5. What is the history of the telegraph ? 

6. Give the important events of Polk's administration. 

7. How was the northwestern boundary settled ? 



216 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

8. State the causes of the Mexican War. 

9. Name the battles and marches of 1846. 

10. Write the history of this war during the next year. 

11. What was the "Wilmot Proviso?" 

T A YLOE ' S ADMINI STR ATION — 1 849 . 

1850 Mr. Calhoun and President Taylor died. 

Mr. Clay's Compromise or Omnibus Bill was passed. 

1852 Mr. Clay'and Mr. Webster died. 

Pierce's administration — 1853. 

1853 Personal Liberty Bills were passed in some of the Northern 
States. 

1854 The Kansas and Nebraska Bill was passed by Congress. 
Emigrant- Aid Societies were organized in the North. 
The Kansas War began. 
Negotiations were opened with Japan. 

Buchanan's administration — 1857. 

1857 Troops were sent to keep order among the Mormons. 

1858 The Atlantic telegraph cable was landed in America. 

1859 John Brown attempted to raise an insurrection in Virginia. 

1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president. 
South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Secession. 
Other States seceded. 

1861 The Southern Confederacy was formed. 
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated president. 
A Peace Congress met in Washington. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Name the most important events of the administrations of Tay- 

lor and Fillmore. 

2. Give the history of California. 

3. State the important events of Pierce's administration. 

4. What were Fugitive Slave Laws and Personal Liberty Bills ? 

5. Tell the object of the Emigrant- Aid Societies. 

6. Tell something of the Kansas War. 

7. What were the events of Buchanan's administration? 

8. Give an account of the John Brown Raid. 

9. Name the four candidates for president in 1860. 
10. What was the object of the Peace Congress ? 

BOOKS OF REFERENCE. 

Allen's "Account qf Lewis and Clarke's Expedition;" Irving's 
"Astoria;" Lives of Jefferson, Adams and Madison; Parton's "Life 
of Aaron Burr" and "Life of Andrew Jackson;" Cooper's "History 
of the United States Navy;" Mackenzie's "Life of Commodore 
Perry;" Mansfield's "Mexican War," and "Life and Services of 
Lieutenant- General ."cott;" Benton's "Thirty Years View;" Lives 
of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster. 



M « 



SECTION VI. 

THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES. 

CHAPTER I. 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION — 1861-1865. 



1. Inauguration. — Abra- 
ham Lincoln, of Illinois, was 
inaugurated the sixteenth 
president March 4, 1861. 
Hannibal Hamlin had been 
elected the vice-president. 
In his address, at that time, 
the president declared that 
his principal object would 
be to preserve the Union, and 
that he would continue to 
collect the public revenues at 
the ports of the seceded States, 
also that he would "hold, oc- 
cupy and possess" the forts 
and all the United States property in those States. 

2. Fort Sumter.— Governor Pickens, of South Caro- 
» Mr. lina, received notice April 8, that an armed fleet 

' was on its way to " strengthen and provision" 
1861. Fort Sumter. This was considered "a declara- 
tion of war against the Confederate States." Major An- 
derson then commanded a garrison of eighty men at the 
fort. 

3. General Beauregard. — About six thousand men, 
20 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



218 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1861 

who had volunteered to defend Charleston, had been placed 
under the command of General Gustave Beauregard (bo'-re- 
gard). He received orders from the authorities at Mont- 
gomery " to demand at once the evacuation " of Fort Sum- 
ter, " and if this should be refused, to proceed immediately 
to reduce it." When this demand was made. Major Ander- 
son replied, in writing, that he would not leave the fort. 

4. The Bombardment. — The fleet was nearingCharles- 
. .1^2 ton, and General Beauregard's forces would soon 

be exposed to firing from the fleet and from Sum- 
ter. He informed Major Anderson of the hour at which 
the bombardment would begin. At half-past four on the 
morning of April 12, the firing from Charleston commenced, 
and the guns from Sumter answered. Although the fleet 
was in sight, it did nothing. 

5. The Fall of Sumter. — After the bombardment had 
. ., ^o continued thirty-two hours. Major Anderson con- 
sented to surrender. The whole garrison was 

allowed to march out from the fort ; each man took with 
him all that he claimed as his own. Not a single life had 
been lost in this engagemeat, although the terrible firing 
had lasted so long. 

6. The Result.— When Sumter fell, the news spread 
quickly all over the country, and the wildest excitement 
followed it. At the North, large numbers of the Dem- 
ocrats and of the American party united with the Republi- 
cans in a determination to preserve the Union. The United 
States flag, with its stars and stripes, was raised above pri- 
vate dwellings as well as public buildings, and cockades of 
the national colors were placed upon children to show the 
love of the people for the Union. Mr. Lincoln immedi- 
ately published a proclamation, calling for seventy-five thous- 
and volunteers to crush the rebellion, and for an extra ses- 
sion of Congress to meet in July. 



1861 THE FIRST YEAR OF THE CIVIL WAR. 219 

7. Four other States Secede.— Four other States, 
Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee, decided, 
at once, when Mr. Lincoln made this call for troops, to leave 
the Union and join the Confederacy. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE FIRST YEAR OF THE CIVIL WAR 1861. 

1. Causes of the War South.— The people of the 
South felt that they had been unjustly treated about the 
settlement of the Territories. When their negroes ran away 
into the free States, they found it almost impossible to ob- 
tain possession of them again, although the fugitive slave 
laws passed by Congress made it their privilege to reclaim 
them. A president had been elected who had not received 
a single vote in the Southern States, but had been put in 
office by the Republicans, who wanted to destroy slavery, 
an institution which the South believed the constitution 
allowed. They feared that other rights would be no longer 
respected, that it would all end in giving the whole power 
of the government to Congress, and in taking from the 
States their separate rights. These fears led them to be- 
lieve that their only safety was in separating from the 
United States. They had voluntarily entered the Union as 
separate colonies ; and, as States, they felt that they had 
the right to withdraw. The attempt to keep them in the 
Union by force brought on the war. 

2. Causes of the War North. — Many of the people 
of the North thought it was a cruel and a sinful thing to 
own slaves, and they wanted to put a stop to negro slavery 
in the South. They said the States had no right to with- 
draw from the Union^ and, wheu the citizens of the seceded 



220 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1861 

States took up arms to prevent being compelled to accept 
these measures, they were called rebels. The Northern 
army was called the Union or Federal army, because it 
fought for the preservation of the Union. 

3. Confederate Troops.— Feeling that the attempt to 
take Fort Sumter, which had been built to protect a city in 
South Carolina, was an act of war, President Davis also 
made a call for troops. This call was answered from every 
part of the Confederacy, and preparations for fighting were 
begun in earnest. 

4. Lincoln's Proclamation. — At this time, a procla- 
mation from Mr. Lincoln ordered that all the ports of the 
Confederate States should be placed in a state of blockade ; 
that is, that no vessel should come in or go out from any of 
these ports. Ships, manned with soldiers and mounted 
with heavy guns, were immediately fitted out and sent to 
guard the Southern coast. Another proclamation followed, 
calling for seventy-five thousand men to enlist in the Fed- 
eral army and crush the rebellion.* 

5. The Capital Changed. — Soon after the secession 
Mav 21 ^^ Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy was 

removed from Montgomery to Richmond, Vir- 
ginia, and efforts were soon begun by the Feder- 
als to gain possession of that city. The first battles were 
fought in the border States — in Virginia in the east, and in 
Missouri and Kentucky in the west. 

6. The Federals in Virginia.—General Scott com- 
manded the army that had been collected at Washington. 
General Patterson was stationed a short distance from Har- 

»The Baltimore Riot. — The Northern States sent large numbers of 
men to Washington. While a regiment from Massachusetts was passing 
through Baltimore, April 19, 1861, on its way to the capital, it was at- 
tacked by a mob of citizens. Three soldiers and several citizens were 
killed. These were the first lives lost in the war. 



222 HTSTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1861 

per's Ferry. Fortress Monroe, on the Yorktown peninsular, 
fell into the hands of General Butler. General George B. 
McClellan crossed the Ohio, into northwestern Virginia, 
with a large force.** 

7. The Confederates in Virginia. — General Beaure- 
gard was put in command of a large part of the Confeder- 
ate army at Manassas Junction. General Joseph E. John- 
ston's troops were in the Shenandoah Valley, at Winches- 
ter, watching the movements of General Patterson. Gen- 
eral John B. Magruder was sent to Yorktown and Big 
Bethel on the peninsular to oppose an advance of General 
Butler. 

8. Northwestern Virginia. — The first battle was 
fought at Philippi, in western Virginia (June 3,) where the 
Confederates were surprised and defeated by General Mc- 
Clellan's forces. McClellan was also successful in three en- 
gagements that followed— at Rich Mountain, Laurel Hill, 
Carrick's Ford and Beverly. Each time he compelled the 
Southern troops to retreat. After he was removed from that 
section to the command of another division of the army, his 
successor also succeeded in marching forward against the 
small forces before him ; and by the close of the year a large 
portion of western Virginia was occupied by the Federals. 

9. Big Bethel.— A few days after the battle at Philippi, 

troops were sent by General Butler from Fortress 
^^1^fi1 ' Monroe. These were driven back by the Con- 
federates at Big Bethel. 

10. On to Richmond.— About the middle of July, Gen- 

^A regiment of Federals was sent across the Potomac from Washing- 
ton, by General Scott, to take possession of Alexandria. Colonel Els- 
worth, the commander of the regiment, was killed at the Marshall 
House (April 24, 1861), by J. W. Jackson, who was himself immediately 
shot by the soldiers. Arlington Heights, the home of General Lee, was 
also taken. 



1861 THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS. 

eral McDowell marched an army of sixty thou- 
^^861 ' ^^^^ ^®^ from Washington toward Manassas 

Junction, and met the Confederates under Gene- 
ral Beauregard. After fighting nearly three hours, McDowell 
retreated to Centreville. 

11. The Great Battle of Manassas.— Three days 

after this retreat, General McDowell advanced 
1 Sfil ' ^g^-in? intending to fight his way to Richmond 

and end the war. He found General Beaure- 
gard's army on the southern bank of a stream called Bull 
Run, where he made another attack. General Johnston 
had been informed of this movement, and had hastened to 
Manassas. The fighting was desperate and bloody. It con- 
tinued until late in the day. Sometimes it seemed that 
the Federals would succeed, but, about 4 o'clock in the af- 
ternoon, General Kirby Smith, with reinforcements from 
General Johnston's division, arrived from Winchester, and 
a great victory was gained. McDowell's troops became 
panic-stricken and fled in the wildest confusion, scattering 
their guns, clothing and articles of all kinds in the way as 
they went. The entire Federal loss in this battle was more 
than five thousand. That of the Confederates was a little 
more than one-third of that number. Beauregard and 
Johnston together commanded about thirty thousand men. 
McDowell had advanced with thirty-five thousand. 

12. Kesults. — This battle stopped the invasion of Vir- 
ginia for a time, and saved the capital. Besides making 
the people everywhere believe that war had really begun, 
it caused both armies to increase rapidly. Mr. Lincoln 
called for half a million of men. 

13. General McClellan."— General Scott had become 

"General George B. McClellan spent the early part of liis life in 
Philadelphia. He was born in that city December 3, 1826. His educa- 
tion was finished at West Point Military Academy, where he graduated 



^24 HISTORY OF THE XJNITED STATES. l86l 

too old and feeble to march with the army, and at his re- 
quest, he was allowed to resign. General George B. Mc- 
Clellan's successes in western Virginia had made him a 
favorite with the Northern people, consequently, after the 
defeat at Manassas, he was made the commander of the Fed- 
eral army in Virginia. 

14. The West. — During this time, the people west of 

the Mississippi had not been idle. Though Mis- 
Q / 90 ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ joined the Confederacy, many of 

the men of that State had entered the Southern 
army. General Sterling Price commanded the forces from 
Missouri, and General McCullough those from Texas. 
These troops gained several victories over the Union forces 
in that section— first, at Carthage (July 5), then, at Oak 
Hill (August 10). A month later. General Price captured 
three thousand prisoners at Lexington, and took possession 
of the place.** 

15. Presidential Election. — Before the close of the 

with honor. His first experience as a soldier was in the Mexican war 
under General Scott. He was twice promoted for gallant conduct on the 
battle-field. In 1855, he was sent by the government, in company with 
two other officers, to study the progress of the Crimean war in Europe, 
and his report of the condil ion of the European armies was published 
by order of Congress. After his return, he made his home in Chicago, 
where he became ent^jaged in important railroad interests. At the be- 
ginning of the war of '61, he was appointed major-general of the Ohio 
troops by the governor of that State. 

The command of the Federal army in Virginia was given to him 
after the first battle of Manassas ; but the results of both of his cam- 
paigns in eastern Virginia were so unsatisfactory to his government that 
he was relieved of his command, and he did no further service as a sol- 
dier during the war. 

"^November 7, 1861, General U. S. Grant went down the Mississippi 
from Cairo to Belmont, and destroyed a Confederate camp there. A force 
from Columbus, just across the river, was sent against him, and he was 
compelled to return to his gunboats. He then went back to Cairo. 



1861 T^HE CONFEDERATE NAVY. 225 

-j^ n year, the people of the Confederate States elected 
a president and vice-president, according to the 
constitution which they had adopted. Mr. Davis and Mr. 
Stephens were chosen to fill the offices for six years.« 

16. The Confederate Navy. — At the time of their se- 
cession, the Confederate States had no navy. A number of 
small vessels were armed and sent out by private citizens to 
do service for the government. Their officers received com- 
missions from the Confederate authorities, and the vessels 
were called privateers. They did great damage to the com- 
merce of the North. In a short time, twenty vessels were 
taken as prizes, and brought to the Southern ports/ 

17. The Trent Affair.— The Confederate government 

sent out two commissioners to England and 
^oA-j ' France -James M. Mason and John Slidell. Af- 
ter they had succeeded in passing the blockading 
steamers, they went to Havana, where they took passage 
on the Trent, a mail steamer belonging to Great Britain. 
The next day, they were seized by Captain Wilkes, who 
commanded the San Jacinto, of the United States navy, and 
carried as prisoners to Fort Warren, near Boston. This seiz- 
ure of passengers on board a British vessel would have 

ePort Royal, South Carolina, was captured November 7, of this year. 
General Lee was then sent to command the forces on the coast of South 
Carolina and Georgia. In three months, he finished the fortifications 
which protected all that portion of the country, for years, from any ad- 
vance from the coast. This section did much toward furnishing supplies 
for the army, and the loss of it would have been keenly felt by the en- 
tire South. 

^Two steamers, the "Sumter and the "Nashville," were sent out by the 
Confederate government, under the command of officers who had re- 
signed from the United States navy. The 'Sumter" succeeded in running 
the blockade at the mouth of the Mississippi. The "Nashville " reached 
the open sea from Charleston. Cargoes, which amounted to millions of 
dollars in value, were captured by these vessels, and the injury done to 
foreign trade was seriously felt throughout the Northern States. 
21 



226 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

brought on a war with England had not the authorities at 
Washington disapproved the act of Captain Wilkes and 
returned the commissioners. 

18. The Situation. — At the close of this year, the Con- 
federates were very hopeful of success. They had gained 
several important victories, and had captured a large num- 
ber of prisoners. Mr. Davis made several attempts to have 
an exchange of prisoners, but the government at Washing- 
ton refused all the terms which he oJBfered. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR 1862. 

1. Plans for the New Year. — The Federals had de- 
cided to send a part of their forces " on to Richmond," while 
the others were to move from the Ohio and Mississippi to- 
ward the Gulf States. The Federals were doing all in their 
power to get their boats on the lower Mississippi si as to 
use it as a means of communication, and the Confederates 
were making every effort to keep it. 

2. The Armies. — The troops that were to move upon 
Richmond were commanded by General George B. McClel- 
lan, those in the West by General Halleck. The Con- 
federates placed General Joseph E. Johnston at the head of 
the army in Virginia, which had been re-organized and 
called the Army of Northern Virginia. General Albert Sid- 
ney Johnston took command of the Southern forces raised in 
the West. He stationed his army along a line through Ken- 
tucky, reaching from Columbus on the Mississippi to the 
Cumberland Mountain. All that could be spared from de- 



1862 PRESIDENT DAVIS INAUGURATED. 227 

fending the long stretch of sea-coast, besides a small army 
beyond the Mississippi, were sent to these two generals.* 

3. Forts Henry and Donaldson. — Federal gunboats, 

commanded by Commodore Foote, were sent 
^ ' ' * up the Tennesseee and Cumberland rivers to 
attack the forts that had been built to defend the passage 
of these streams. General Grant was ready with his forces 
on land and joined in the attack. Both forts were taken, 
although the Confederates defended them bravely. At 
Fort Donaldson, they fought four days amidst the ice and 
snow. The capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donalson was 
a heavy blow to the Southern cause. The losses at both 
places amounted to about nine thousand men. General Sid- 
ney Johnston was forced to retreat into Tennessee because 
he could no longer prevent the Union gunboats from run- 
ning on these rivers. 

4. President Davis Inaugurated.— About a week 
-r. , ^^ after the fall of Fort Donaldson, Mr, Davis was 

1862 ' iiia-ugurated to serve six years as the president of 
the Southern Confederacy. 

5. Nashville. — The Federals moved farther southward, 

and took possession of Nashville. A large 
-jo/>2 ' amount of stores fell into their hands at that 
place. 

6. West of the Mississippi. — The command of the 
army west of the Mississippi had been given to General 
Earl Van Dorn. He was prevented from sending any as- 
sistance to General Johnston, because he was expecting an 
attack from a strong Federal force. This attack was made 

*The first military movements were made in the West. At Fishing 
Creek, or Mill Spring, the Confederates were attacked January 19, 1862, 
by General Thomas, with a portion of General Halleck's troops. The 
Southern forces were driven back, and General Zollicoflfer, who com- 
manded them, was killed. 



228 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

early in March. The Confederates, under Generals Price 
and McCulloch, had fortified a place on Pea Ridge, in the 
northwestern part of Arkansas, and there, with twenty 
thousand men, fought three days the attacking columns of 
General Curtis, which numbered twenty-five thousand ; but 
at last, having exhausted their ammunition, they were com- 
pelled to retreat. This battle was called the battle of Elk- 
horn or Pea Ridge, and it was here that General McCulloch 
was killed. 

7. General Johnston's Retreat.— After the retreat 

, ^ from Columbus and Nashville, a Confederate 
March 3 
to Anril 7 ^^^^® ^^^ moved to Island No. 10 in the Mis- 
sissippi, and to New Madrid on the western 
bank. Batteries were erected at both places to prevent the 
Federals from navigating the river. Commodore Foote with 
his gunboats moved down to Island No. 10, and General 
Pope's troops assisted in the attack. After a bombardment 
of ten days, the Confederates left New Madrid. Island No. 
10 was captured, but not until it had withstood, through a 
whole month, a dreadful storm of shot and shell from the 
water and the land. General Pope had crossed the river 
and was close in their rear when the men from No. 10 
began to retreat. Valuable guns and several thousand 
prisoners were taken on the island. 

8. The Monitor and the Virginia. — When the United 
March 8 ^^^^^s naval commander left Norfolk, Virginia, 

at the beginning of the war, he destroyed and 
sunk most of the vessels in that harbor. The Confed- 
erates raised and repaired one of these vessels, the " Mer- 
rimac," and named it the '^ Virginia." Besides covering it 
with railroad iron and strong beams of wood, they fixed a 
steel bow in its front. This curiously built ship attacked the 
Union fleet in Hampton Roads. They fired upon her, but 
their balls glanced from her sides without inflicting the 



1862 THE MONITOR AND THE VIRGINIA. 229 

slightest injury. The work done in one day by this iron- 
clad ram was fearful. Three of the wooden vessels were 
wrecked. The " Cumberland," with her crew, was sunk ; 
the " Congress " was burned, and the '' Minnesota " lay help- 
less on the shore. 

9. The " Monitor." — During the night, a strange look- 
March 9 ^^^ iron-clad war ship arrived from New York, 

called the "Monitor." Those who first saw it 
said that " it looked like a cheese box on a raft." The next 
day witnessed a fight between the " Monitor " and the 
" Virginia." The battle lasted two hours, and though both 
vessels carried heavier guns than had ever been used at 
sea before, no damage was done to either, until a shell from 
the " Monitor " fell into a port-hole of the " Virginia." She 
then retreated to the shore. The building of these two 
vessels made a complete change in the navies of the world. 
Every nation saw the advantage iron vessels had over 
wooden, and iron-clads were soon built instead. 

10. Other Exploits.— During the same month, a Fed- 
Miroh 14 ^^^^ ^^^* succeeded in taking Roanoke Island 

and Newbern, North Carolina. In April, Fort 
Pulaski, near Savannah, was also taken by the Federals. 

1 1 . Battles of Shiloh. — General Grant moved as far 

south as Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee 
18C2 ' ^iver, intending to go on to Corinth, Missis- 
sippi, where General Sidney Johnston and 
General Beauregard, who had been sent to the West, had 
collected their forces. General Johston's army encamped 
along the road toward Corinth and near a little log church, 
called Shiloh church, from which the battle there took its 
name. While the Federals waited for General Buell to arrive 
with reinforcements, they were surprised by an attack made 
upon them by the Southern army. The fighting was desper- 
ate and lasted throughout the day ; the Federals were driven 



230 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

to the river to seek the protection of their gunboats. General 
Sidney Johnston was killed just as he was about to win the 
great victory for which he had planned. General Beaure- 
gard succeeded him in command. 

12. The Second Day. — General Buell, having arrived 
., ^ with fresh Union troops, another bloody battle 

^ ' was fought the next day. Nothing of impor- 
tance was gained by either side, except that the Federals 
re-occupied the ground that had been taken from them the 
previous day. The Confederates returned to their first po- 
sition at Corinth. Both armies had lost heavily. In killed, 
wounded and missing, the Confederate loss was ten thous- 
and. The accounts given by the Federals place theirs at 
an even greater number. The Confederates who fought in 
these battles numbered, according to official reports, about 
forty thousand. Those commanded by Generals Grant and 
Buell, from the best sources of information, were twice as 
many. 

13. Retreating. — General Beauregard remained at Cor- 

inth for several weeks before he removed to Tu- 
T ^^ fi P®^^' ^Mississippi. After some reverses, the Con- 
federate boats were compelled to move down the 
Mississippi river from Fort Pillow. This fort was given up 
soon afterward (June 4), and the city of Memphis fell into 
the hands of the Federals. 

14. General Bragg. — General Beauregard's health 
failed, and his position was given to General Braxton 
Bragg. His army was afterward known as the Army of 
Tennessee. 

15. The Fall of New Orleans.— Captain Farragut 

commanded a fleet of armed vessels, which were 
1«fi9 ®®^^ ^^^ ^^ accomplish the capture of New Or- 
leans. That city was defended by two forts — 
Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philips, which had been built on 



1862 THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR. ^31 

opposite sides of the river, seventy miles below the city. 
After the attack was begun, an incessant firing was kept up 
between the fleet and the forts, during six days — the fleet 
sometimes firing " ten shells a minute." Boats were placed 
in a line across the river at the forts. These boats were 
fastened together by chains and ropes, but an opening was 
left next to the bank on each side. A fleet of ten armed 
vessels, with several smaller boats, were sent down from 
New Orleans to aid the forts. At three o'clock on the morn- 
ing of April 24, a steamer was seen coming up the river. 
The guns of the Southern fleet were turned upon her. 
Others followed her, and amidst the smoke and the firing, 
the Federal gunboats passed on between the banks and the 
boat obstructions, and turned their firing backward. The 
fire from the front and rear soon destroyed the Confederate 
fleet. Thirteen of Farragut's boats ran past the forts, and, 
on the morning of the next day, he took possession of the 
city. The forts surrendered three days later ; General B. 
F. Butler, with a land force, marched into New Orleans and 
took command. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR 1862 — CONTINUED. 

1. The Armies of Virginia. — In accordance with the 
Federal plans for 1862, General McClellan had been busy 
during the winter organizing his new army of one hundred 
and twenty thousand men, in preparation for another ad- 
vance upon Richmond. Early in March, General Johnston 
moved his army south of the Rappahannock, that he might 
be ready to oppose a movement either by way of Manassas 
or Fredericksbuig, or to march more easily toward Fortress 
Monroe, should General McClellan select that route. 



23^ 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1862 



2. The Peninsular Campaign. — In April, General 

McClellan moved his troops by steamers down the 

1862 ' P^^tomac from Washington to Fortress Monroe. 

From that place, he marched toward Richmond, 

along the peninsular, between the York and James rivers, 

using these rivers as a means of conveying his supplies. 




The TEmNsxjLkCjmPAiGnJj^ ij. 



SCALt OF MILES 



General John B. Magruder was then stationed on the pe- 
ninsular with eleven thousand Confederates, and while Gen- 
eral Johnston rapidly gathered his forces from other points 
to Yorktown he managed to hold in check the great Fede- 
ral army. 

Battle of Williamsburg. — There was some fighting 
as General McClellan advanced. At Williamsburg 

t8fi9' ^ battle was fought, which engaged portions of both 
armies, and in which the Confederates had the ad- 
vantage. The fighting ceased hours before dark, but the 
Southern troops held the ground until the next morning. 
When they began their march, they were not pursued. 

4. Dre^wry's Bluff. — After the '* Monitor " succeeded in 
crippling the iron-clad, " Virginia," a fleet of United 



1862 BATTLE OP SEVEN PINES. 233 

States gunboats took possession of the James 
1862 ' ^iver. They bombarded the Confederate defenses 

at Drewry's Bluff, which had been built as a pro- 
tection against an advance upon Richmond from that direc- 
tion. Although they did not succeed in passing these 
worksj General Johnston thought it best to withdraw his 
army to a place nearer Richmond. 

5. Battle of Seven Pines.— General McClellan con- 

tinned to advance. General Johnston skillfully 
1862 ' retreated before his immense numbers. The Fed- 
eral army reached the Chickahominy late in 
May, and, on the last day of the month, another battle was 
fought at Seven Pines or Seven Oaks. The day before the bat- 
tle, a heavy rain caused a sudden rise in the Chickahominy, 
which separated a portion of General McClellan's army from 
their communications. While in this condition, they were 
attacked and driven from the position they had taken. 
Night closed the battle. General Johnston was wounded. 
The news caused some confusion among his soldiers and 
nothing of importance was gained. The losses in killed, 
wounded and missing were very heavy. 

6. General Lee in Command.— When General John- 

ston's wound compelled him to leave the army, 
1862 ' Greneral Robert E. Lee* was made the com- 
mander-in-chief of all the Confederate forces in 

'^General Robert E. Lee, a son of General " Light Horse Harry " Lee, 
was born at Stratford, in Westmoreland county, Virginia, in 1807. He was 
sent to the United States Military Academy at West Point, and graduated 
with honor. It has been said of him that, " during his stay at West 
Point, he was never reprimanded nor marked with a demerit." He served 
through the Mexican war with General Scott, who always spoke of him 
in the highest terms of praise. Three times during that war, he was pro- 
moted for the valuable services he rendered the army of the United 
States. When Virginia seceded, he felt that his duty called him to de- 
fend his native State ; and although it cost him his beautiful home and 
22 



2U 



History of the united states. 



186^ 



Virginia. General McClellan waited for General McDowell 
to join him from Fredericksburg. 
7. Jackson's Valley Campaign.— General Thomas J. 
Jackson^ had been sent into the Shenan- 

^^1862 ^^' ^°^^ ^^^^^^ *^ oppose the Federal forces 
there. The campaign in this valley be- 
gan with the battle of Kearnstown (March 23, 1862), which 




he fought with the 
Federal troops un- 
der General Shields. 
This battle was fol- 
lowed by a rapid j^ 
succession of victo- 



MAP OF THE VALLEY CAMPAIGN. 



his fortune, he resigned his commission in the United States army and re- 
turned to Virginia. There he was appointed by the governor to the com- 
mand of the Virginia troops. He began at once the task of drilling and 
preparing the volunteers for their work in the war. Afterward, the 
Confederate government sent him to western Virginia, where he was un- 
able to accomplish anything of advantage. His reputation as a gen- 
eral was won after he accepted the command of the armies in eastern 
Virginia. 

^General Thomas J. Jackson, or "Stonewall Jackson," as he was 
■more generally called, was one of the most famous leaders in the South- 
ern army. He was " the poor orphan boy that walked to Washington 



1862 



THE VALLEY CAMPAIGN. 



235 



ries through the months of May and June. At McDowell, 
he met and routed General Milroy (May 8). At Winches- 
ter, General Banks retreated before him (May 25) ; at Cross 
Keys, he defeated General Fremont's forces (June 8), and 
the next day, at Port Republic, Shields again retired. He 
had prevented General McDowell from joining McClellan, 
and had caused such alarm for the safety of Washington, 
that the four Generals who opposed him — Milroy, Banks 
Fremont and Shields — had 
hurried to that place. He 
had " within forty days " 
marched his little army of 
fifteen thousand, over four 
hundred miles; " he had sent 
three thousand five hundred 
prisoners of war to the rear ; 
he had left as many more of 
the Federals killed or dis- 
abled on the field ; and he had 
defeated four separate armies, 
amounting in the aggregate 
to at least three times his 
own numbers." 

8. Jackson Joins Lee. — While everything was quiet in 
the valley, and before McClellan could be strengthened by 
reinforcements, General Lee ordered General Jackson to 




ROBERT E. LEE. 



from Lewis county, Virginia, and appeared before John Tyler in his 
plain homespun suit, with leathern saddlebags upon his shoulders, 'ask- 
ing for a cadetship at the United States Military Academy at West 
Point." He was " the awkward, ungainly youth who wrote in his pri- 
vate book of maxims, 'You may be whatever you resolve to be.'" 

It was in the first battle of Manassas that the name of "Stonewall" 
was given to him and his brigade. When a portion of the Confederate 
lines were giving way before the Federal advance. General Bee called to 
his men, ''Look, there is Jackson standing like a stonewall.'^ 



236 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

move his army quickly and secretly to Mechanicsville, be- 
yond McClellan's right wing and between his army and 
McDowell's. Three weeks after the battle of Port Republic, 
General Jackson had obeyed this order. 

9. The Six Days' Battles. — General Lee then crossed 

the Chickahominy, and six days of bloody bat- 
Tulv 1 ^^^ and of victory to the Southern arms followed. 
First, at Mechanicsville and then at Beaver 
Dam Creek (June 26), at Gains' Mill" (27). After the battle 
of Gains' Mill, General McClellan could no longer use the 
York river, but was obliged to change his base to the James, 
where he could be nearer his gunboats. General Lee pur- 
sued him, and there were three more days of fighting — at 
Savage Station (June 29), Frazier's Farm, White Oak 
Swamp (June 30), and Malvern Hill (July 1). McClellan's 
army found safety in retreat to the shelter of his gunboats, 
at Harrison's Landing, on the James. 

General Lee had faced McClellan's well disciplined and 
immense army with about eighty thousand men. McClel- 
lan commanded one hundred and five thousand. The losses 
were more than fifteen thousand on each side. The Confed- 
erates captured over ten thousand prisoners, besides quan- 
tities of small arms and many pieces of artillery. 

10. General Pope. — After this series of disasters, Mr. 
Lincoln called for three hundred thousand men. A new 
army was organized and General John Pope was made its 
commander. The new general determined to make another 
movement against Richmond. The forces of McClellan still 
remained on the James river, and much of Lee's strength 
would be required to hold them in check. Knowing the 
anxiety that was felt by the people of Washington for the 
safety of their capital, General Lee decided to try the ex- 
periment of making a movement which would threaten 
that place, in order to draw away the forces on the James, 
which he had not been able to drive out. 



1862 lee's invasion of Maryland. 237 

11. The Battle of Cedar Run.— He sent General 

Stonewall Jackson, with a part of the army, 
" ^1^Sfi2 ' *^ watch General Pope, expecting to follow 

with the remaining part. As General Lee had 
anticipated, troops from the James were soon removed to 
Washington. General Pope's army lay along the Rappa- 
hannock and Rapidan rivers, and reached as far as the She- 
nandoah valley. General Jackson found General Banks, 
who was in command of the western portion at Cedar Run, 
where he attacked him ; after the fight, General Banks re- 
treated. 

12. The Second Battle of Manassas. — General Lee 

ga-thered all the troops that could be brought 
18fi2 ' together, and joined General Jackson, at 
once. Together, with a force of about forty- 
nine thousand, they moved forward to Manassas Junction 
against General Pope's army of fifty thousand men. Again 
the plains of Manassas were the scenes of blood and death. 
Where the tirst battle had been fought, a year before, another 
victory was recorded for the Confederate cause. General 
Pope retreated to the fortifications of Washington, having 
lost heavily in men, artillery and small arms. After this 
defeat, General McClellan was again put in command of 
the Federal army. 

13. Lee's Invasion of Maryland.— A short time af- 
ter the second battle of Manassas, General Lee crossed the 
Potomac and entered Maryland. He divided his army into 
two divisions, giving each division its special work. To 
General Jackson was assigned the capture of Harper's 
Ferry, which had been seized by the Federals ; the other 
commanders remained with Lee to keep back the army 
under McClellan. 

14. South Mountain. — The forces left to guard the 
Sept. 14. mountain passes fought bravely at Boonsboro, or 

South Mountain, but lost heavily. 



238 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

15. Harper's Ferry.— The next day, General Jackson 
a i -j r regained possession of Harper's Ferry. At that 

place, he captured eleven thousand prisoners, 
with over seventy pieces of artillery and thirteen thousand 
stands of small arms. 

16. Sharpsburg. — By rapid marches, General Jackson 
a . -jY rejoined General Lee two days afterward, at 

Sharpsburg. Many of his men had been left, 
" foot-sore and weary," along the road from Harper's Ferry, 
and he went into the battle with thinned regiments. Gen- 
eral McClellan ordered an attack to be made on the left of 
the Confederate army ; there the troops of both generals 
fought stubbornly for hours. This engagement has been 
called, "the drawn battle of Sharpsburg or A.ntietam." 
General Lee's forces amounted to about thirty-five thousand, 
and General McClellan's official report says that he brought 
eighty -seven thousand into this battle. The Confederates 
had held their ground against double their numbers. The 
next day passed in comparative quiet, and during the night. 
General Lee re-crossed the Potomac into Virginia. 

17. General Burnside. — Before the close of the year, 
^ r General McClellan was again removed from his po- 
sition, and General Ambrose E. Burnside was made 

commander of the " Army of the Potomac." This name 
had been given to the Federal army in Virginia. 

18. The Battle of Fredericksburg.— This change of 

officers brought about a new plan of attack upon 
pA«t ' Richmond, from Fredericksburg. When General 
Burnside reached Fredericksburg, he found Gen- 
eral Lee ready to meet him, though with a much smaller 
army than his. He crossed the Rappahannock on pontoon 
bridges, with one hundred thousand men, and attacked 
General Lee, who fought behind hastily constructed works 
with seventy-eight thousand. This battle was a great vic- 
tory for Lee, and completely checked Burnside's advance. 



1862 



GENERAL BRAGG IN KENTUCKY. 



239 



General Burnside re-crossed the river, and the two armies 
remained encamped on opposite sides of the Rappahannock 
during the rest of the year. 




19. The West— General Bragg in Kentucky. — 

While Lee and Jackson were invading Maryland, 

18^2' ^®^^^^^ Bragg was busy recruiting the " Army of 

Tennessee." General Grant's army was stationed 



240 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1862 

along the country between Memphis and Huntsville. Gen- 
eral Buell was sent to take Chattanooga ; but, in August, 
General Bragg marched through Tennessee, toward the 
Ohio river, hoping to regain possession of Tennessee and 
Kentucky, and Buell could do nothing but retreat to Louis- 
ville. 

20. General Kirby Smith.— About the same time. Gen- 
eral Kirby Smith moved his troops from Knoxville, Ten- 
nessee, into Kentucky, where he joined General Bragg. 
They remained two months in the central part of the State, 
expecting that the people would enlist for the Confederate 
cause and enlarge their army. Disappointed in this hope, 
they returned to Chattanooga, after having collected large 
quantities of supplies. 

21. Battle of Richmond and Perry ville.— On the re- 

treat they were pursued by General Buell, 
P -fooo ' ' and at Richmond, Kentucky, General Kirby 

Smith's arms were victorious over the Fed- 
erals. The two opposing armies were again thrown to- 
gether at Perryville and a battle followed, after which 
General Bragg retreated to Chattanooga. 

22. Battle of Murfreesboro.— Very little had been 

gained on either side by this campaign. General 
-toni^ ' Rosecrans was placed in command of the Fed- 
eral army instead of General Buell, about the 
last of October. He strengthened the fortifications at 
Nashville, Tennessee, and General Bragg moved again to 
Murfreesboro. Rosecrans began preparations for driving 
him back. Each general commanded about forty thousand 
men, and on the last day of 1862, they met in battle at 
Murfreesboro. The fighting was kept up bravely on both 
sides for two days. Fourteen thousand Federals were killed 
and wounded and ten thousand Confederates. This battle 
has also been called a drawn battle. 



1863 EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. 241 

24. New Ships. — During the summer of this year, two 
new armed ships, the " Florida " and the " Alabama," 
which had been built in England, were brought out and 
put upon the sea. They did much damage to the com- 
merce of the North. 

25. Soldiers' Aid Societies had been organized by the 
patriotic women of the country, everywhere, north and 
south, and their work was now appreciated more fully 
than ever before. Blankets and bedding from their own 
homes were cheerfully given up to supply the brave men 
who needed them at the seat of war. Socks were knitted 
and clothing made by their own fingers, and every delicacy 
that love could suggest was prepared and sent to the sick 
and wounded in the hospitals. And there their untiring 
and tender attentions at the bedside of the suffering, 
soothed the last hours of many a dying soldier. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE THIRD YEAR OF THE WAR — 1863. 

1. Emancipation Proclamation.— President Lincoln 
issued a proclamation on the first day of the year, 1863, de- 
claring all the slaves in the Confederacy to be free. 

2. Federal Plans. — The Federal leaders planned the 
campaign for this year with reference to two main objects 
— the capture of Richmond and the opening of the Missis- 
sippi. Port Hudson and Vicksburg were in the hands of 
the Confederates, and the Federal boats were still kept from 
passing up and down the river. 

3. General Hooker. —About the last of January, the 
command of the " Army of the Potomac " was taken from 
General Burnside and given to General Joseph Hooker. 

23 



242 HISTORY Oi^ THE UNITED STATES. 1863 

His army was stationed on the north side of the Rappa- 
hannock, where it had remained since the battle of Freder- 
icksburg. Reinforcements had increased its number to 
one hundred and thirty-two thousand men. All of them 
had been carefully drilled and well equipped, and it was 
thought to be the best army that any general had ever com- 
manded in this country. 

4. Chancellorsville. — General Lee still held Freder- 

icksburg, which he had fortified. He could only 
^^^d"^ ' muster fifty-seven thousand soldiers to confront 

the hosts that Hooker was bringing against him. 
About the last of April, Hooker crossed the Rappahannock 
above Fredericksburg and marched to Chancellorsville, 
about ten miles west of Fredericksburg. There he occu- 
pied a strong position, " surrounded on all sides by a dense 
forest filled with a tangled undergrowth, in the midst of 
which breastworks of logs had been constructed, with trees 
felled in front." General Lee thought it unwise to attack 
that strong position, defended by such numbers, and he de- 
termined to divide his army, and send General Jackson 
around to the rear, while he held the front. A long, tire- 
some march took Jackson's force around Chancellorsville. 
At 6 p. m., he attacked the rear of the Federal army. The 
surprise was so complete that, after a few efiforts to resist, 
Hooker's forces began to fly in disorder. The battle con- 
tinued through the next day. Hooker's advance was com- 
pletely checked and his grand army forced to recross the 
river. 

5. StonewallJackson Wounded.— In the evening of 
^ o the first day of this battle, General Jackson ordered 

General Hill's troops to move forward and relieve 
those who, after a long march, had been for hours in the 
hottest of the fight. As Hill's men came on, they met 
General Jackson with several officers returning from the 



1863 



THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG. 



243 



^m 




-^ i ^^. 



front. In the darkness, Hill's 
men mistook them for Fed- 
erals and fired. General Jack- 
son fell mortally wounded. 

His command was given to 
General Stuart, an honored 
officer, and worthy of the 
position, but the death of 
Stonewall Jackson was a 
loss that could not be re- 
paired. General Lee said, 
speaking of the misfortune, 
"I have lost my right hand." * 

6. The West.— Beside 
the army under General Rosecrans, who had fought Gen- 
eral Bragg at Murfreesboro, there was another Federal army 
in the West commanded by General Grant. It occupied 
the country between Memphis and Corinth. The Confed- 
erates, under General Pemberton, opposed these forces and 
defended the northern part of Mississippi. 

7. Vicksburg.— In the early part of this year, General 
Grant began the task of opening the Mississippi from 
Vicksburg to Port Hudson. During the months of Feb- 
ruary and March, he made several attempts to take Vicks- 
burg, from different directions, but failed. After that, he 
sent his army down, on the west side of the Mississippi, 



STONEWALL JACKSON. 



aJackson's Death. — General Jackson died May 10, 1863, one week 
after receiving these wounds. He trusted fully in the love of his Saviour. 
During his last moments, while in a state of feverish sleep, the friends 
watching by his bed side, heard him say, "iei us pass over the river and 
rest under the shade of the trees^ These were his last words. The duties 
he had fulfilled so faithfully were all done, and he was about to pass be- 
yond the noise of battle into eternal rest. The rejoicings of the peo- 
ple over the great victory, which he had done so much to win, were soon 
hushed into silence and sorrow over the death of their great leader. 



244 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1863 

below Vicksburg to Grand Gulf, intending to run his gun- 
boats past Vicksburg and down to the same place. His 
boats passed the batteries at Vicksburg in the night (April 
22), and were ready to move the army across the river. 
When they had crossed to the eastern side, they marched 
toward Vicksburg. Several battles were fought on the way 
with the Confederate forces — at Port Gibson, Raymond and 
Baker's Creek, near the Big Black river. After the battle 
of Baker's Creek, General Pemberton retreated to the forti- 
fications of Vicksburg. 

8. The Siege. — General Sherman joined General Grant, 
and they began the siege of Vicksburg. General Pember- 
ton held the town with about thirty thousand men. The 
siege continued more than six weeks. Firing from the bat- 
teries on the land or from the boats on the river against the 
town was kept up the greater part of the time. Grant's 
whole force, including that on the river, has been estimated 
at one hundred and fifty thousand. 

9. West Virginia. — The majority of the people living 
. in the northwestern part of Virginia were Union 

PJi^o ' men ; that is, they were opposed to secession and 
the war. In the spring of 1863, they adopted a 
form of government for themselves, and were admitted as 
a separate State, under the name of West Virginia. Mr. 
Lincoln issued a proclamation which completed all the ar- 
rangements for making the new State. 

10. The Pennsylvania Campaign.— After the bat- 
tle of Chancellorsville, General Hooker's army returned to 
the heights opposite Fredericksburg. Rather than attack 
him in this strong position, General Lee determined to draw 
him away, by marching his own army northward, through 
Maryland, into Pennsylvania. Early in June, he sent a 
part of his forces to meet the Federals in the valley of Vir- 
ginia. These Confederates recaptured Winchester and Mar^ 



1863 • THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. 245 

tinsburg, and took a large number of guns and prisoners. 
General Lee joined them with the rest of the army; the 
whole command, numbering about sixty thousand, then 
crossed the Potomac, and moved on through Maryland, 
through York and Chambersburg to Carlisle, threatening 
Washington and Harrisburg. 

11. General Meade. — About this time, General Hooker 
was relieved of his command and General George B. Meade 
was made the commander of the " Army of the Potomac." 

12. General Lee's Reasons.— General Lee thought his 
march beyond the Potomac would hinder the movements of 
the Federal commanders, so that their plans for the summer 
could not be carried out. He needed supplies, and he went 
into the country where everything was raised in abundance. 
He hoped, too, that after a victory in one of the Union 
States, many of the friends of the Confederacy in Maryland 
would join his army. 

13. Gettysburg. — When the news of this advance reach- 

ed General Meade, he moved his army beyond the 

^ ^ ' Potomac, where it could defend Washington. A 

part of General Lee's army met a part of General Meade's 

forces at Gettysburg, July 1. The Federals were driven back 

through the town and five thousand prisoners taken. 

14. The Battle.— General Lee at once ordered his troops 

from Carlisle and Chambersburg back to Gettys- 
^ * burg. The men were weary from their long 
marches through the heat of those summer days, but they 
obeyed, and a portion of the army reached the neighbor- 
hood of Gettysburg at night, ready for the battle the next 
day. Owing to some delays, General Lee's plan of begin- 
ning the attack early the next morning was not carried 
out. The battle was not begun until late in the afternoon, 
by which time General Meade's whole army of one hun- 
dred and five thousand had arrived. Thousands of men at 



246 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1863 

work had strengthened his position on the hills southeast 
of the town. In some places, the Federals were driven from 
their lines and their guns taken by the desperate charges 
of the Confederates ; but the men in gray were, in turn, also 
compelled to retire, and to leave hundreds dead or dying 
behind them. 

15. General Lee hoped that a united attack, the next day, 

would win what had seemed so nearly within 
186S ' ^^^ reach on the morning of the 2nd, but another 
delay robbed the third day's battle of its victory. 
For two hours the terrific cannonade went on from all the 
cannon in both armies ; the blue smoke from the muskets 
hid the Confederates as they moved forward. Again there 
was a dreadful struggle on the hillside, but it was impos- 
sible to get possession of the strong Federal position. All 
that were left of Lee's men returned to the Confederate 
lines. Meade held his position ; and, after a day of rest, Lee 
returned to Culpepper Courthouse, in Virginia. With the 
exception of several cavalry engagements, there were no 
battles on the way. General Lee's loss in this campaign 
was nineteen thousand. Nearly seven thousand prisoners 
were captured from the Federals. 

16. A Season of Quiet. — Meade followed Lee across 

the Potomac and the Rappahannock. By August, 
1 ffil the Confederates were once more on the southern 

bank of the Rapidan, and General Meade's army 
took its position opposite to them on the north side of that 
river. The rest of the season was one of quiet. The Fed- 
eral plans seemed entirely broken up, and no further ad- 
vances were made. 

17. The West— The Surrender of Vicksburg.— 

The day before General Lee began his retreat 

1863 ' ^^^^ Gettysburg, Vicksburg was occupied by 

General Grant. The garrison had almost ex- 



1863 THE BATTLE OP CHlCKAMAUGA. 247 

hausted its store of provisions, and could do nothing but 
surrender. Four hundred guns had ti be given up, and, by 
the terms of the surrender, thirty thousand prisoners were 
paroled. This was another severe blow to the South. The 
two heavy losses coming together greatly depressed the peo- 
ple throughout the Confederacy. 

18. Port Hudson. — The only place on the Mississippi 

held by the Confederates was Port Hudson, in 
^ * Louisiana, some distance below Vicksburg. After 
the fall of Vicksburg, they could no longer hold this point, 
and it, too, was surendered in a short time. These successes 
gave the Federals the entire use of the Mississippi river, 
which was of immense advantage to them. It gave them a 
new route for bringing supplies to their armies; and, by 
cutting off all that part of the Confederacy beyond the 
Mississippi, confined the Confederates within narrow limits, 
besides separating them from a country which had sent 
them quantities of provisions and numbers of men. 

19. Bragg and Rosecrans. — After the battle of Mur- 

freesboro. General Bragg had fallen back to TuUa- 
^^* homa, but General Rosecrans did not make any 
advance until the next June. As he moved forward, Gene- 
ral Bragg continued to retreat through Tennessee to Geor- 
gia. 

20. The Battle of Chickamauga.— Large numbers of 

re-inforcements were sent out to General 
qaq' ' I^osecrans, and General Lee sent five thou- 
sand from the Rapidan to aid General Bragg. 
In September, Rosecrans followed Bragg to the Chickamau- 
ga,* a small stream running through a portion of North Geor- 
gia into the Tennessee. There a terrible battle was fought. 
It continued through two days and resulted in a victory for 
the Confederates. The number of Federals engaged in this 

»An Indian name, which means "River of Death." 



^48 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1863 

battle was fifty-five thousand. Bragg's force numbered 
forty thousand. The Federal loss was twenty thousand, 
among whom were eigjht thousand prisoners. The Confed- 
erates lost not less than ten thousand men. 

21. Chattanooga. — From Chickamauga, Rosecrans 
moved back to the fortifications of Chattanooga. General 
Bragg strengthened his defences on Missionary Ridge, 
where he remained for some time. He managed to keep 
Rosecrans shut up in Chattanooga until November, and 
nearly starved the Federal army there. At length, General 
Sherman brought troops from Vicksburg and General Hooker 
brought others from Virginia. General Grant was given 
the chief command of the western armies about this time, 
and he went to Chattanooga. 

22. Knoxville. — General Bragg sent a part of his forces 

to make an attack upon the Federals at Knox- 
^Qno ' ville. Nothing was gained by that expedition, 
except that Burnside was kept besieged in that 
town for a time. , 

23. Battle of Missionary Ridge.— While this portion 

of General Bragg's troops was away,General Grant 
186S ' prepared for an advance. On November 25th, 

his army, led by General Thomas, fought in the 
battle of Missionary Ridge, in which he gained a victory 
over the Confederates and drove them back into Georgia. 

24. General Joseph E. Johnston.— After this battle, 
General Bragg asked to be relieved of his command, and he 
was succeeded by General Joseph E. Johnston. 

25. Naval Operations. — Although the United States 
navy had been greatly increased, the principal work 
done by it during this year was to keep up the blockade. 
In April, an attempt was made to capture Fort Sumter, at 
Chaileston, S. C, but the Federal fleet was so much injured 
in the attempt that it was compelled to retreat. After- 



1864 BATTLE OF OLUSTEE OR OCEAN POND. 249 

ward, another fleet, aided by a land force, made a second 
attack upon the fortifications of Charleston. Both with- 
drew without taking the city. Still later, Fort Sumter was 
bombarded by an iron-clad fleet, whose heavy shot "made 
holes two and a half feet deep in the walls." It was bat- 
tered into ruins but left in the hands of the Confederates. 

The Confederate vessels did great damage to the com- 
merce of the United States ; but the prizes they captured 
could not be made of use, because they had no port in which 
to leave them. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR 1864. 

1. The Situation. — At the beginning of this year, the 
Federals were in possession of the States of Tennessee, 
Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, and parts of Florida, Louisi- 
ana and Mississippi, besides having entire control of the 
Mississippi river. 

2. Battle of Olustee or Ocean Pond.— Military 

movements began in February. A Federal force 
%'oA ' marched toward the interior of Florida from 

Jacksonville. Generals Colquitt and Finnegan 
met this force at Olustee, or Ocean Pond, where a battle was 
fought in which the Confederates were victorious. The 
Federal loss was two thousand five hundred in killed and 
prisoners, and five large guns with a number of small arms. 
The Confederates lost two hundred. The invading forces 
retreated and Florida was saved. 

3. The Meridian Campaign. — General Sherman had 
returned to Vicksburg after the battle of Missionary Ridge 
and had been busily preparing to move an army to Meri- 

24 



250 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1864 

dian, Miss., and on to Selma, Ala. The object of this move- 
ment was to destroy the railroads in Mississippi and Ala- 
bama, to cripple the Confederates and keep them at a dis- 
tance from the Mississippi, so that twenty thousand Fede- 
rals might be spared from guarding the fortifications along 
its banks, and aid in the invasion of Georgia in the spring. 

4. Battle of Okalona — General Forrest, a famous South- 

ern general, gained a decided victory over the 
ISfil Federal cavalry which had been sent forward to 

Okolona/ Mississippi, and drove them back. 
Sherman, who had then gone as far as Meridian, stoj^ped his 
advance, and returned to Vicksburg. 

5. The Red River Campaign.— Early in March, 

General Banks started from New Orleans, in- 
18fi4 ' tending to conquer Louisiana, and then to 

push onward through Texas. The route se- 
lected was along the Red River to Shreveport. He was as- 
sisted by a detachment from Sherman's force at Vicksburg, 
together with Admiral Porter's fleet of nineteen gunboats. 
General Steele also joined him with seven thousand men 
from Arkansas. 

6. Battle of Mansfield. — General Banks moved to 

Mansfield with twenty-five thousand men, where 
April 8. he was attacked by a force of nearly nine thous- 
and under General Richard Taylor, who com- 
manded the Confederates in Louisiana. At Mansfield, the 
victory was on the Confederate side. General Banks re- 
treated, leaving two thousand five hundred prisoners be- 
hind, with thousands of small arms and two hundred wag- 
ons. 
7' Battle of Pleasant Hill.— General Taylor followed 
the retreating Federals, and, late in the after- 
April 9. noon of the next day, another battle was begun, 
which ended as night came on. Both armies 



1864 CHANGES. 251 

held their ground, but General Banks retreated during the 
night. 

8. Return of the Fleet -During the march of the army 

into Louisiana, the water in the river had fallen 
May 13. so low that it was impossible to move the fleet 

back over the falls at Alexandria, until a dam 
was built across the Red River. The Confederate force 
was too small to prevent the escape of the fleet, and the 
boats passed beyond their reach just one month after they 
had entered Red River. The campaign had been a failure. 

9. Changes.— General Grant's success in the West had 

made him a great favorite throughout the North. 
1864 ^* *^^^ ^^^®' ^® ^^^ promoted to the rank of lieu- 
tenant-general. It had not been given to any man 
since the death of General Scott. According to the consti- 
tution, the president was commander-in-chief of the army. 
Grant left Sherman in command of the army at Chatta- 
nooga, and removed his headquarters to Virginia, where 
General Meade still held his position, subject to the order 
of General Grant. 

10. Plans.— It had been decided that preparations 
should be made for two grand movements of the Federal 
armies. One was to be made under the special direction of 
General Grant, toward Richmond,'' which was still defended 
by General Lee; the other toward Atlanta, Ga., against 
General Johnston's forces. Atlanta was considered an im- 

aRaid.— Two Federal oflacers— G^eneral Kilpatrick and Colonel Dahl- 
^ren— undertook to lead a cavalry expedition against Richmond. They 
intended to release the Federal prisoners there, and help them to kill the 
president and his cabinet. They chose different routes. Kilpatrick 
arrived in the neighborhood of Richmond first, but he found the Con- 
federates ready to meet him, and he retreated toward York river. Dahl- 
gren was received in the same way. He was killed by a company of 
home guards as he passed back through the country. The expedition 
was called the Kilpatrick and Dahlgren raid. 



252 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1864 

portant place, because of the railroads centering there, and 
because of its large workshops and large collection of sup- 
plies. The strength of both governments was directed to- 
ward these two movements. 

11. Grant in Command. — About the first of May, the 

new Federal commander began his movements. 
^rj, ' He sent a body of six thousand up the Kanaw- 
ha river, and ten thousand under General Si- 
gel from Winchester, with orders to move to Staunton and 
Lynchburg, to cut ofif General Lee's supplies from the 
south. He also sent General Butler up the James river 
against Petersburg. About the same time. General Grant 
marched the '' Army of the Potomac," numbering one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand, " on to Richmond," from the north. 
Having left more than fifty thousand to be used as rein- 
forcements, if necessary, he crossed the Rapidan. 

12. Lee Meets Grant. — The force with which General 
Lee was to meet and keep back this immense army num- 
bered sixty thousand. With these men he fought a suc- 
cession of battles, which began soon after General Grant's 
advance, and did not end until nearly the middle of June. 

13. Battle of the Wilderness.— The first of these bat- 

^ /, ties is known as the battle of the Wilderness. It 
jNlav 5 o 

1864 ' ^®g^^ *^® next day after Grant crossed the Rap- 
idan, and lasted through two days. The losses 
were terrible. 

14. Spottsylvania. — General Grant's next move was 
Mav 8-12 ^^ attempt to get his army between General 

Lee and Richmond by a flank movement, but 
Lee hurried his troops to Spottsylvania Court-house, and 
placed them behind the earthworks there. Grant tried in 
vain to drive them from that position. 

15. North Anna. — After desperate fighting at Spott- 
sylvania, General Grant, having beeu largely reinforcecj 



1864 THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG. 253 

from Washington, began another flank movement, but he 
found General Lee at the North Anna ready to meet him 
again. 

16. Cold Harbor. — Another effort at flanking General 
June 3 ^^^ brought General Grant to Cold Harbor, 

nearer to Richmond. The Confederates fought 
behind earthworks, and every charge made upon them was 
repulsed. The ground in front of the works was covered 
with the dead and the wounded. This battle proved to 
General Grant that he could not drive General TiCe from his 
fortifications on the north side of Richmond, and he changed 
his base to the James, where he took his position about the 
middle of June. He had lost sixty thousand men— as 
many in number as General Lee's whole army. 

17. Beauregard. — About the same time that the fight - 

ing in the Wilderness was going on, by rapid and 
-iQo/ skillful marching. General Beauregard succeeded 
in reaching Petersburg in tirne to prevent General 
Butler's advace upon the town. 

18. General Breckinridge met Sigel's expedition and 
routed him at New Market, May 15. 

19. General Early. — General Hunter then took General 
Sigel's command, and, gathering all the scattered Federal 
forces, marched to Lynchburg. General Early had been 
sent by General Lee to Lynchburg, and he succeeded in 
routing Hunter's force also. He followed them, overtook 
them at Salem, and forced them to retreat to the Ohio. 

SO. The Siege of Petersburg.— General Grant hoped 
J ^r by crossing the James river to be able to capture 
Petersburg, twenty miles south of Richmond, be- 
fore it was strongly fortified ; but Lee sent a part of his 
army to reinforce Beauregard at that place, and although 
Grant struggled four days for the possession of the city, he 
made another failure. He then encamped his army south of 



254 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1864 

the Appomattox river. All active movements were then at 
an end. Heavy earthworks were thrown up by the Feder- 
als in preparation for the siege of Petersburg and Richmond. 
The siege lasted ten months, and though there was some 
fighting during the time, there was no general engagement. 

21. Early's Invasion. — General Lee, wishing to induce 
Grant to remove a part of his force from Petersburg, and 
supposing that but few troops had been left at Washington, 
sent General Early with twelve thousand men into Mary- 
land, northwest of Washington. He marched more than 
two hundred miles through the Shenandoah valley. Ruins 
and ashes marked the route that General Hunter had taken. 
Early met a body of Federal troops at Monocacy river, 
which, after a fight of several hours, retreated before him. 
He then moved on toward the capital. Fears were at once 
excited for the safety of Washington and Baltimore, fright- 
ened citizens having reported his force to be four or five 
times its real strength. He found the fortifications of 
Washington too strong to be taken by a small army, and 
after remaining in the neighborhood of the capital long 
enough for his march to produce its desired efifect, he re- 
turned to Virginia. 

22. Chambersburg. — Near the close of July, he sent 
T 1 1884 his cavalry to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. 

' Before leaving, they set fire to the town. 
Having collected a large amount of supplies, he then re- 
treated to Winchester. 

23. General Phil, Sheridan, who had superseded 
q , h 19 General Hunter, was sent in pursuit. He 

' attacked General Early at Winchester, 
and compelled him to retreat. Just one month after this 
defeat. Early sent General John B. Gordon to attack Sheri- 
dan's army at Cedar Creek. He marched at night, along a 
narrow road between the river and the mountains, reached 



1864 SHERMAN IN GEORGIA. 255 

the rear of the Federal camp a little before daylight (Octo- 
ber 19), and wakened the soldiers with the noise of his 
muskets. At the same time, General Early appeared in 
front. The surprise was so complete, that Sheridan's army 
was soon flying panic stricken on its way back to Winches- 
ter. The commander, who had been absent at the time of 
the attack, met his routed army and, after restoring order, 
returned. The Confederates, not expecting him, were in 
turn defeated and driven back. Sheridan then marched 
into the rich valley of Virginia to finish the work of de- 
struction which Hunter had begun. His object was to keep 
General Lee from receiving supplies from that section. 
After the close 'of his campaign, he said, " A crow in tra- 
versing the valley, would be obliged to carry his rations." " 
24. Undermining the Confederate Works.— One of 

the generals in Grant's army proposed to dig a 
1Sfi4 tunnel under ground to one of the Confederate 

forts, so that it might be blown up with gunpow- 
der. General Grant had determined to leave nothing untried, 
and a regiment of Pennsylvania miners, were put to work 
with picks and shovels. After a month of labor, the mine 
was finished. Eight thousand pounds of powder were 
placed under the fort. When it exploded, a mass of earth 
and smoke burst up into the air and fell backward with a tre- 
mendous noise. A chasm 30 feet deep, 135 feet long, 97 feet 
wide, was left where the fort had been. Sudden death had 
come to two hundred and fifty-six Confederate soldiers. 
Re-inforcements were at once sent to that part of the line. 
They charged upon the Federals, advancing through the 
opening, and drove them back, killing and wounding five 
thousand. 

^'According to Sheridan's official report, he bmrned 2,000 barns filled 
with wheat and hay, 70 mills stored with flour and grain, and drove off 
or killed 7,000 head of cattle and sheep, besides a large number of horses. 



256 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1864 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR 1864 CONTINUED. 

1. Sherman in Georgia. — About the same time that 
General Grant crossed the Rapidan in his advance on Rich- 
mond, General Sherman, with one hundred thousand men, 
began to move toward Atlanta. General Joseph E. John- 
ston opposed him with an army of forty-five thousand, sta- 
tioned at Dalton, Ga. With these, he managed to check 
Sherman's advance, and to keep him seventy days on the 
march of one hundred miles between Dalton and Atlanta. 
Sherman's marches were flank movements, similar to those 
of Grant's against Lee in Virginia. He kept a part of his 
army in front, and sent the rest around through the country 
to move behind the Confederates. Johnston's army was so 
small that he was • compelled to retreat before every such 
movement, yet he made ready for battle, and fought when- 
ever he saw any hope of success. 

2. Dalton and Resaca. — The Confederate army had 

been stationed at Dalton during the winter. 
1^4 ' Sherman began his advance early in May, and 

there was some fighting along the front to 
make Johnston believe that a direct attack would be made 
upon Dalton. At the same time, the principal part of the 
Federal army marched behind the mountains west of 
Dalton, around Johnston's left, and south to Resaca. At 
Resaca, a battle was fought, but Sherman found the place 
strongly fortified and well defended, and did not succeed in 
capturing the position. He then moved to the left again, 
and Johnston retreated to New Hope Church and Dallas. 

3. New Hope Church.— The fighting continued 
through three days at New Hope Church, after which, to 



1864 BATTLES KEAR ATLANTA. 257 

defend his line of communications, John- 
Tsfi4 ^^^^ moved southward again to Kennesaw 

mountain. 

4. Kennesaw.— Johnston fortified this strong position 

and held it a month.* Sherman's attacks 

June z7. ^^^^ repulsed with great slaughter. Finding 

that he could not drive the Confederates back, he moved his 

army around Kennesaw mountain, and threatened to cut 

Johnston off from his supplies. 

5. Atlanta. — This compelled General Johnston to cross 

the Chattahoochee and retreat to Atlanta. About 

^^ five thousand of the reserve militia of Georgia 

were then sent to Atlanta by Governor Brown ^ to aid Gen- 

*General Johnston, with a party of officers, among whom was General 
Polb-, rode to the front to examme his fortifications June 14, 1864. Just 
as they were ready to return, a Federal battery directed its fire to- 
ward them. The third short was fatal to General Polk. His death made 
many sad hearts among the men who had fought with him in the battles 
of Tennessee and Kentucky. 

'' 2. Joseph Emerson Brown was born in Pickens district, South 
Carolina, April 15, 1821. His life has been a remarkable one, and he has 
been for years prominently connected with the politics of his section. 
His parents removed to the northern portion of Georgia while he was 
still a child. His school-days were passed in the log school -house near 
his mountain home. There he was taught to read and write. 

This beginning to learn only made him more anxious to obtain knowl- 
edge. He had heard something of the Calhoun Academy in Anderson, S. C, 
and he determined to become a student there. Although the journey 
was a long one, for those days, that did not discourage him. He owned 
a yoke of oxen, which his younger brother helped him to drive more 
than one hundred miles of the way. The sale of his oxen and the 
amount which he received for teaching a country school, during the va- 
cation months, paid his expenses for the first year. He was allowed to 
continue his studies two years longer on his "promise to pay ;" this he 
did by taking charge of a flourishing school in Canton, Ga. 

All of his spare moments were given to the study of law, and he was 
admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-four. This man of brilliant 
mind and determined will did not remain long in private life. He was 

25 



^58 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1864 

eral Johnston. They were commanded by General G. W. 
Smith and General Robert Toombs. On the retreat from 
Dalton, Johnston had lost nearly ten thousand men. Sher- 
man's losses were sixty thousand — as great as Grant's had 
been in his battles from the Wilderness to the James. 

6. General Hood. — A short time after arriving at At- 
lanta, General Johnston was removed from the command of 
the army, and General John B. Hood was appointed his 
successor. 

7. Battles of Atlanta. — General Hood did not fight be- 

^ , ^, hind his breastworks as Johnston had done. 

Julv 21 22 

•^ ' ' He made Sherman believe that Atlanta had 

been evacuated, and then went outside to attack him, on the 

north and east of the city. Soon after taking command, he 

fought the great battles near Atlanta, in which he lost eight 

thousand men. 

8. The Fall of Atlanta. — About one week afterward, 

Sherman moved quickly around Atlanta and 
1864 ' s^P^^^t^d from Hood a part of his army, which 

was then at Jonesboro. General Hood then re- 
treated toward Newnan, and Sherman marched triumph- 
antly into the city, September 3. 

9. Hood's Campaign in Tennessee.— All the sup- 
plies for Sherman's army were brought over the railroad 
from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and General Hood formed the 

elected judge of the superior court, in 1855. and afterward to the Sen- 
ate of Georgia. In 1857, he was made Governor of the State ; he held that 
cflSce, daring the war, until 1865. 

He encouraged the growth of railroads by recommending State aid in 
building them wherever they were necessp,ry to develop the natural re- 
sources of the country. His opposition to the use of intoxicating liquors 
and tobacco, and his strictly temperate habits exerted a strong influence 
for good. 

Since then, lie has held a conspicuous place in the Senate of the United 
States. He was always in favor of common schools, and he has been, since 
the organization of public schools in the city of Atlanta, Ga., the presi- 
dent of the Board of Education. 



1864 BATTLES OF NASHVILLE. 259 

plan of moving his army behind General Sherman and de- 
stroying this railroad. This he accomplished and then 
marched on toward Nashville, Tennessee. All the forces he 
could collect made his army about thirt3^-five thousand 
strong. Sherman did not retreat as Hood expected he 
would, but remained in Atlanta. 

10. Franklin. — General Hood found a Federal force at 

Franklin, Tennessee, which he attacked. They 
1^r4 fought behind fortifications and his losses were 
frightful. At night, after the battle, the Feder- 
als retreated to Nashville. 

11. Battles of Nashville. — General Thomas, who had 

been left in command at Nashville, collected 
%laA from Chattanooga, Murfreesboro and other 

places, about forty-five thousand men, with 
which he organized a new army. General Hood pressed on 
to Nashville, where he waited two weeks without giving 
battle. The Federals were alarmed at the prospect of his 
marching to the Ohio, and they moved out to attack him. 
He fought there two days, amidst sleet and snow, for the 
possession of the city, but his desperate struggle accom- 
plished nothing. It left his army defeated and scattered, 
and he had no choice but retreat. 

12. General Taylor.— After re-crossing the Tennessee 
river. General Hood asked to be relieved of his command, 
and General Richard Taylor, who had been a prominent offi- 
cer in Louisiana, was commissioned to fill his place. 

13. Burning Atlanta.— While General Hood was in 
Tennessee, General Sherman warned the citizens to leave 
Atlanta, and gave them their choice to go either north or 
south. He said he wanted to make the place " a pure mil- 
itary garrison with no civil population to influence military 
measures." When petitioned by the mayor and council- 
men of the city " to reconsider the order," he positively re- 



260 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1864 



fused. Afterward, directions for burning the city were 
given to the Federal soldiers, and the torch destroyed what 
cannon balls and shells had left. 

14. The March to the Sea.— Sherman then started with 
his army of sixty-five thousand men on his 
march to the sea. He left behind him a track 
of desolation thirty miles wide, all the way 



Nov. 15, 
1864. 




from Atlanta to Savannah. There was no force to oppose 
him and he fed his army along the route by what he found 
in the country. In his report, he says : " I estimate the 
damage done to the State of Georgia at one hundred millions 
of dollars." When he reached the neighborhood of Savan- 
nah, which was defended by General Hardee, he began 
preparations for its capture. 



1864 NAVAL OPERATIONS. 261 

15. Evacuation of Savannah. — A few days after his 

^ ^ ^ arrival, General Sherman demanded the surren- 
XJec 19 

der of Savannah, but General Hardee refused. 

Two busy days passed in the city, and then Hardee's little 
army secretly crossed the Savannah river on pontoon 
bridges, during the night, into South Carolina. Sherman 
was disappointed to find that these troops had escaped cap- 
ture and that they had taken with them forty-nine pieces 
of artillery. He entered and took possession of Savannah 
four days before Christmas day. There he was at once 
placed in communication with the Federal fleet. Fort Mc- 
Allister having already surrendered a short time before. 
Besides military stores, thousands of bales of cotton were 
captured. 

16. Naval Operations. — The Confederates lost several 
valuable war vessels this year. The " Alabama " was sunk 
in a battle with the United States steamer, " Ke-ar-sage," 
near the coast of France. The '' Albermarle " was lost near 
Plymouth, North Carolina, by the explosion of a Federal 
torpedo. The " Florida " was captured off the coast of Brazil. 

17. Mobile. — During the summer, a large force was 

sent to take possession of Mobile, Alabama. It 
1864 ' ^^^ made up of a fleet of twenty-eight ships un- 
der the command of Admiral Farragut. The 
Confederate iron-clad, " Tennessee," which Farragut found 
near Mobile, fought until it was compelled to surrender. 
The three forts which defended the city were taken before 
the end of the month. One had been evacuated and blown 
up. The Federals had gained control of Mobile Bay, but the 
city was not surrendered until the next spring. 

18. Wilmington.— There was now but one port left by 
Dec 24 which the Confederates could evade the block- 
ade, or hope for intercourse with the world be- 
yond them. The harbor, at Wilmington, N. C, was de- 



262 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1865 

fended by Fort Fisher. A fleet of fifty war ships and iron- 
clads was sent under Admiral Porter against it in the fall. 
The fleet was aided by a land force commanded by General 
Butler. The fort was bombarded by the fleet during two 
days, but it refused to surrender. A ship torpedo, which 
contained two hundred and fifty tons of gunpower, was also 
exploded, but nothing v/as gained by it. 

19. Nevada. — This year witnessed the admission of Ne- 
-i ooA vada as one of the States of the Union. The name 

means snow-clad. 

20. The Election. — In November, an election was held 

for president and Mr. Lincoln was elected for a sec- 
-|^J;' ond term, with Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, for 
vice-president. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR — 1865. 

1. The Situation.— New Year's day, in 1865, brought 
but little to make the Confederates hopeful or happy. The 
Federals had obtained possession of the greater part of the 
Confederacy, and had increased their army to more than a 
million of men. All of the Southern troops in the field did 
not number more than one hundred and fifty thousand; 
their supplies were nearly all exhausted, and they had but 
little hope of obtaining more. 

2. Fort Fisher. — The same fleet which had attempted 
Tan 15 *^® capture of Fort Fisher was sent against it 

' again, in January, aided by a stronger land force 

than before. The fort was the scene of another 

terrific bombardment, after which its garrison surrendered. 

The other defences of Wilmington fell into the hands of the 

Federals within a few weeks, and then the city was taken. 



1865 SHERMAN IN THE CAROLINAS. 263 

3. Johnston in North Carolina.— While Sherman 
held possession of Savannah, it was important that a mili- 
tary force should be placed between him and General Lee's 
army at Petersburg, and all the troops that could be spared 
from other places were sent to General Joseph E. Johnston, 
who had been appointed to command them in North Caroli- 
na. General Bragg at Augusta, Georgia, and General Har- 
dee who had retreated from Savanah were ordered to re- 
inforce General Johnston, and the "Army of the Tennessee," 
which had been encamped in the neighborhood of Meridian, 
Mississippi, was sent by railroad through the central part 
of Georgia and South Carolina. 

4. Sherman in the Carolinas. — In February, Sherman 
Feb 1 niarched from Savannah through South Carolina, 

destroying everything as he passed along. Colum- 
bia, he captured and burned. Charleston was 
evacuated and the Federals took possession. Sherman left his 
path smoking in ruins behind him, and crossed the Cape Fear 
river, at Fayetteville. 

5. Averysboro and Bentonville. — At Fayetteville, 
•«. , General Sherman divided his army, and the 

two divisions marched toward Goldsboro, on 
roads ten or twelve miles apart. General John- 
ston attempted to oppose this march, and fought two battles 
with the left wing — at Averysboro and at Bentonville. He 
could accomplish nothing more than a short delay of the 
Federal advance. At Goldsboro, Sherman was joined by re- 
inforcements and Johnston moved to Raleigh. 

6. Virginia. — The siege of Petersburg and Richmond 
had been continued through the fall and through the win- 
ter of 1864-5. Several attempts had been made to move 
around the right of General Lee's army and take possession 
of the South Side Railroad so as to cut off his supplies from 
the south, but without success. 



S64 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1865 

7. Sheridan. — While Sherman was on his march 
Maroh ^tii^ough Carolina, Sheridan, with a cavalry force, 

moved toward Staunton. General Early's army 
had become so small that he was obliged to retreat and Sheri- 
dan, finding nothing in his way, moved on to Petersburg 
where he had been ordered to join General Grant. In ad- 
dition to the ruin which he had already accomplished, he 
"destroyed the canal and tore up the railroads" by which a 
part of the supplies were sent to Richmond. 

8. Lee's Condition. — At this time. General Lee com- 
manded an army of less than forty thousand. With this 
force, he defended a line thirty-five miles long around Rich- 
mond and Petersburg against Grant's immense host of 
nearly two hundred thousand. 

9. Five Forks.— General Grant ordered the movement 
Anril 1 ^^ ^ heavy force against General Lee's right at 

Five Forks. Every man that could be spared 

was sent to this place, and the Confederate line, 

which was so thin that "in some places it consisted of but 

one man to every seven yards," had to be stretched out still 

farther. 

10. Kichmond Evacuated. — The next day, a general 
Avtril 2 ^t^^ck was made along the lines near Petersburg, 

' and they were broken. The troops defended 
'^' their position as long as it was possible, and 
then withdrew to a line nearer the city where they re- 
mained until darkness covered their movements. During 
the night, they marched out. The siege, kept up through 
long months, by four times their number, was ended. 
Grant's army took possession of Richmond in the morning. 

11. The Surrender. — General Lee then moved his 
Anril 9 thinned ranks westward, hoping to reach John- 
ston in North Carolina. General Grant pursued 
him and several bloody engagements followed. 



1865 Johnston's surrender. 265 

but the retreat went on for seven days. At last, at Appo- 
mattox Court House, he met the Federal cavalry in his front. 
He had been overpowered by numbers and there was noth- 
ing left for him to do but to surrender. 

When General Lee returned from his interview with 
General Grant, the officers gathered around him to express 
the sympathy they felt for their loved commander, but few 
words were spoken — their lips quivered with a sorrow too 
deep for words. Eight thousand men at Appomattox — 
twenty-six thousand in all — were paroled. They were all 
that were left of Lee's army. 

12. The Sherman- Johns ton Convention.— After 
Anril 18 ^^® news of General Lee's surrender. General 

Johnston and General Sherman met at a house 
near Durham's Station, not far from Raleigh^ 
North Carolina, to make terms for the surrender of John- 
ston's army. The agreement signed by these two generals 
was that all the Confederate armies should be disbanded 
and sent to the different States to which they belonged, with 
orders to place their arms in the State arsenals and to 
promise "to cease from acts of war ;" that each of the sece- 
ded States should take its former place in the Union as 
soon as its government officers should take the oath of 
allegiance to the United States ; and that the rights of the 
people under the Constitution should be protected. 

13. Johnston's Surrender.— The Federal authorities 

objected to these terms, and Johnston surren- 
P^^ ■ dered as Lee had done, without any reference to 
political questions. By the last of May, all the other Con- 
federate generals had surrendered, and the great civil war 
was over. 

14. President Lincoln Killed.— While Generals Sher- 

man and Johnston were planning for the close 
1865 ' ^^ ^^® ^ysLY, and the people of the North were 
rejoicing over their success, they were shocked 
26 



266 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1865 

to hear that President Lincoln had been assassinated. He 
was shot while seated in a theatre in Washington, by John 
Wilkes Booth, one of the actors. Booth escaped, but was af- 
terward caught. He was killed by one of the men who 
captured him. 

15. Capture of President Davis.— The president's 
family had left Richmond some time before the surrender, in 
order to influence other families to leave the city, because of 
the scarcity of supplies. President Davis and his cabinet left 
when Richmond was evacuated, on the passenger train to 
Danville, and then went on to Greensboro, N. C. From that 
place, his party traveled in ambulances and wagons through 
the country, intending to go to some place beyond the Missis- 
sippi river. Near Washington, Georgia, he was captured 
and sent a prisoner to Fortress Monroe, where he remained 
more than two years. He had been accused of treason, but 
was released without trial. 

16. Federals and Confederates. — At the beginning of 
the war, the North contained a population of more than 
twenty-two millions ; that of the South was less than ten 
millions, and four millions of that number were negro 
slaves, who took no part in the war. The whole number of 
Federal troops enlisted in the army and navy together, 
amounted to two million six hundred thousand; and the 
whole number of Confederates was a little more than six 
hundred thousand. When the Federal army was disbanded, 
over one million men were sent home ; the whole number 
of paroled Confederate soldiers was one hundred and fifty 
thousand. 

17. Losses. — It has been estimated that the number of 
men killed, together with those who died from wounds or 
disease, during the war, on both sides amounted to one mill- 
ion men. 

18. Debts. — An immense amount of paper money was 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



267 



issued by both governments in order to bear the expense of 
a vast army and navy, and a heavy burden of debt was 
brought upon both. Just before the close of the war, one 
dollar in gold was worth one hundred dollars in Confederate 
money. The Federal war-debt amounted to two thousand 
seven hundred millions. 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 
1861. 



March. 
April. 
May. 

June 3. 
July 5. 
July 21. 
Aug. 10. 
Nov. 8. 



February. 



March. 

March. 
March to June 
April. 



May. 

<( 

June. 
June to July 1. 

August. 

(( 

September. 



September. 

(I 

October. 
December. 



Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated president. 

The bombardment of Fort Sumter. 

The Confederate capital was changed to Rich- 
mond, Virginia. 

The battle at Philippi. 

The battle at Carthage, Mo. 

The first battle of Manassas. 

The battle of Oak Hill, Mo. 

The Confederate commissioners were seized on 
board the ''Trent." 

1862. 

The surrender of Forts Henry and Donaldson. 
President Davis inaugurated the second time. 
The fall of Nashville, Tennessee. 
The battle between the " Monitor" and the '' Vir- 
ginia." 
The battle of Elkhorn, or Pea Ridge. 
The battles in the Valley of Virginia. 
The battles of Shiloh. 
The surrender of Island No. 10. 
The fall of New Orleans. 
The battle of Williamsburg. 
The battle of Seven Pines. 

General R. E. Lee made commander in Virginia. 
The six days' battles around Richmond. 
The battle of Cedar Run. 
The second battle of Manassas. 
General Lee invaded Maryland. 
The battle of South Mountain. 
Harper's Ferry captured by General Jackson. 
The battle of Sharpsburg. 
The battle of Richmond, Ky. 
The battle of Perryville, Ky. 
The battle of Fredericksburg. 
The battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn. 



268 



HISTOKY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1863. 



April. 

n 

May. 



June. 
July. 



September. 
November. 



West Virginia admitted to the Union. 
Fort Sumter attacked. 
The battle of Chancellorsville. 
The death of General Thomas J. Jackson. 
The battle of Baker's Creek, Miss. 
The siege of Vicksburg begun. 
General Lee invaded Pennsylvania. 
The battle of Gettysburg. 
General Lee returned to Virginia. 
Vicksburg surrendered. 
Port Hudson surrendered. 
The battles of Chickamauga. 
General Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga. 
The battle of Missionary Ridge. 
General J. E. Johnston put in command of the 
''Army of Tennessee." 



1864. 



February. 



March. 
(< 

April, 
t < 

May. 



June. 

(( 

(( 
July. 



The battle of Olustee, or Ocean Pond, Fla. 

The Meridian campaign begun. 

The battle of Okolona. 

General Grant made lieutenant-general. 

The Red River campaign begun. 

The battle of Mansfield, La. 

The battle of Pleasant Hill. 

The Federal fleet escaped over the falls in Red 
River. 

The battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania. 

General Sherman began his march toward At- 
lanta. 

General Beauregard drove back Butler's forces 
from Petersburg. 

The battles of Dalton, Resaca, and New Hope 
Church. 

General Sigel routed at New Market, Va. 

The battle of Cold Harbor. 

The siege of Petersburg begun. 

The battle of Kennesaw Mountain. 

General Early invaded Maryland. 

The Confederate works at Petersburg were un- 
dermined. 

General Johnston retreated to Atlanta. 

General Hood was placed in command. 

The battles of Atlanta. 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 



269 



August. 

September. 

October. 

a 

November. 

< ( 

December. 



The forts of Mobile were attacked. 
The fall of Atlanta. 

General Hood began his march to Nashville. 
Nevada was admitted as a State. 
The battle of Franklin, Tennessee. 
Sherman began his march to the sea. 
The battles of Nashville. 
The fall of Savannah. 

General Taylor in command of the " Army of 
Tennessee." 



1865. 



January. 
(( 

February 
April. 



Fort Fisher, North Carolina, was captured. 
General Johnston was put in command of troops to 

meet Sherman in North Carolina. 
General Sherman began his march through the 

Carolinas. 
The battle of Five Forks. 
Richmond was evacuated. 
General Lee surrendered. 
The Sherman- Johnston Convention. 
General Johnston surrendered. 
President Lincoln was killed. 
President Davis was captured. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW OF THE CIVIL WAR— 1861. 

1. State the cause of the civil war of 1861. 

2. Give an account of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and tell its 

results. 

3. What were the positions of the Federal and Confederate armies 

in Virginia in the summer of 1861 ? 

4. What movements were made ? 

5. Describe the battle of Manassas. 

6. What movements were made in the West at the same time ? 

7. Tell the condition of the Confederate navy. 

8. Tell what you know of the Trent aflfair. 

9. What was the condition of the South at the close of 1861 ? 

1862. 

1. State the Federal plans for 1862, and name the commanders of 
both armies. 

2. Name the battles and Confederate movements in the West 
before the battle of Shiloh, 



* 



270 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

3. Give the history of the "Virginia" and its battle with the 
" Monitor." 

4. Give an account of the battle of Sliiloh. 

5. What circumstances attended the fall of New Orleans? 

6. Give the history of the Peninsular campaign. 

7. Write a sketch of the life and character of General R. E. Lee. 

8. Write a sketch of the life and character of General G. B. McClel- 
lan. 

9. Write a sketch of the life and character of General Thomas J. 
Jackson. 

10. Describe Stonewall Jackson's Valley campaign. 

11. Describe General McClellan's next attempt to reach Richmond, 
and name the battles fought. 

12. Give the history of events while General Pope commanded the 
Federal army. 

13. Write an account of General Lee's invasion of Maryland. 

14. What transpired in the West while General Lee was fighting 
Generals McClellan and Burnside? 

1863. 

1. What were the plans for carrying on the war in 1863 ? 

2. Give the history of General Hooker's "On to Richmond." 

3. Tell all you know of the efforts to take Vicksburg. 

4. Give the principal events of General Lee's Pennsylvania campaign. 

5. What were the movements of Generals Bragg and Rosecrans after 

the fall of Vicksburg ? 

6. What were some of the naval operations of 1863 ? 

1864. 

1. What was the condition of the Confederate States at the begin- 
ning of 1864? 

2. What victory saved Florida from invasion ? ^ 

3. Give a sketch of the Meridian campaign. ^ 

4. Give a history of the Red river campaign. 

5. Give an account of General Grant's advance on Richmond. 

6. Tell the history of the expedition sent to meet Butler, Sigel, and 
Hunter. 

7. Write a sketch of General Early's invasion of Maryland. 

8. Describe Sherman's advance on Atlanta. 

9. Write the history of the movements of General Hood's army. 
10. Give an account of Sherman's "march to the sea." 

1865. i 

1. What was the situation of the Confederates in 1865 ? 

2. What events marked General Sherman's march through the Car- 

olinas ? 



BOOKS OP REFERENCE. 



m 



3. Give the history of the siege of Petersburg and General Lee's sur- 

render. 

4. Tell the circumstances of General Johnston's surrender. 

5. Give an account of the death of President Lincoln. 

6. Relate the history of the capture of President Davis. 

7. Give a statement of the strength and resources of the North and 

the South for carrying on the war. 

8. State the loss on both sides and the debt incurred. 



BOOKS OF REFERENCE. 

Stephens' "War Between the States;" Johnston's "Narrative;" 
Taylor's "Four Years with Lee;" Semmes' "Memoirs of Service 
Afloat," and "The Cruise of the Alabama;" Roman's "Military 
Operation of Beauregard;" Davis' "Rise and Fall of the Confed- 
eracy;" Hood's "Advance and Retreat;" Taylor's Destruction and 
Reconstruction;" Early's "Last Year of the War;" Jordan and 
Pryor's "Campaigns of Lieutenant-General Forrest;" Stoddard's 
"Life of Abraham Lincoln;" Hulbert's "General McClellan;" 
Johnston and Browne's "Life of A. H. Stephens;" Alfriend's "Life 
of Jefferson Davis;" Craven's "Prison Life of Jefierson Davis;" 
Cooke's "Life of Stonewall Jackson," and "Life of R. E. Lee." 



SECTION VII. 

RECONSTRUCTION. 

CHAPTER I. 

Johnson's administration — 1865-1869. 

1. Inauguration. — On the same day that Mr. Lincoln 

died, April 15, 1865, the vice-president, Andrew 
1865 ' Jo^^^on, of Tennessee, was inaugurated the 
seventeenth president of the United States. 

2. The most Important Events of this term were : 
1. The reconstruction of the seceded States ; 2. The aboli- 
tion of slavery ; 3. The adoption of the Fourteenth Amend- 
ment; 4. The impeachment of the president; 5. The ad- 
mission of Nebraska; 6. The acquisition of Alaska. 

3. Reconstruction. —The first subject that engaged the 
attention of the United States government was the condi- 
tions on which the seceded States should return to the 
Union. The president issued several proclamations, offer- 
ing pardon to all the citizens of these States, except a few 
who had been leaders in the Confederacy. He also appointed 
provisional governors for these States. 

4. The Abolition of Slavery.— An amendment to the 

constitution which would keep slavery forever from 
• the United States was proposed in Congress. Three- 
fourths of the States adopted it, and it became a part 
of the constitution. The new governors in the Southern 
States had called conventions to form new constitutions in 
order to assure their re-admission to the Union. The peo- 
ple submitted to the results of the war, the amendments to 
the constitution were adopted, and their former agreements 



1866 MEMORIAL DAY. 273 

with the United States were renewed. At the same time, 
members to Congress were elected. 

5. The Fourteenth Amendment— While these ten 
States were still out of the Union, another amendment to 
the constitution was proposed in Congress, by which the 
negroes would be allowed to vote, and by which some of the 
white people in the South would be prevented from voting. 
As the Southern States were unwilling to agree to this, 
they were declared by Congress to be in a state of rebellion. 
They were then divided into five military districts and a 
military ruler placed over each. This brought the whole 
South under military law, and the Fourteenth Amend- 
ment was adopted. 

6. Impeachment. — The president would not approve 
these acts of Congress, and, after vetoing several of them, 
a quarrel followed between him and Congress. Congress 
impeached the president (that is, accused him of "high 
crimes and misdemeanors")- He was tried before the Sen- 
ate, but was not convicted. 

7. Memorial Day. — The beautiful custom of deco- 

rating the soldiers' graves began in Columbus, 
^^866^^' Greorgia. Mrs. Mary A. Williams was the first 

to bring her floral offering; others soon followed 
her example. Her husband, Colonel C. J. Williams, colonel 
of the First Georgia Regulars, died in Virginia and was 
buried in the cemetery at Columbus. Mrs. Williams and 
her little daughter made frequent visits to the grave of 
their loved one, and often indulged in the sad pleasure of 

Negroes.— Generally, the kindest feelings existed between the slave 
and his master. During the four years of war, while in some sections 
nearly all the white men were away in the army, their families, left on 
the plantations with the negroes, dwelt in safety. There were no attempts 
at insurrection. Freedom came to them as one of the results of the war. 
They were hired as servants and laborers by the white people. 

27 



2^4 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 186t 

wreathing the sod with flowers. Once the little girl asked 
permission to leave a portion of her flowers at the graves of 
other soldiers who lay sleeping near her father. This re- 
quest suggested to Mrs. Williams the plan of setting apart 
one day in every year to lay a tribute of love upon each 
Confederate grave throughout the South. 

Her appeal to the ladies was made through the col- 
umns of the Columbus Times, in which she said: "We 
beg the assistance of the press and the ladies through- 
out the South to aid us in the efibrt to set apart a cer- 
tain day to be observed, from the Potomac to the Rio 
Grande, and to be handed down through time as a religious 
custom of the South, to wreathe the graves of our mar- 
tyred dead with flowers; and we propose the 26th day of 
April as the day." 

The Soldiers' Aid Societies had not then disbanded, and 
the members readil}^ responded and re-formed under the 
name of Memorial Societies. The object of their new work 
was to make the necessary preparations for the observance 
of Decoration Day. The work of love which thus had its 
beginning is now an established custom North and South. 

8. Nebraska was admitted as the thirty-seventh State 
in 1867. 

9. Alaska. — The new Territory of Alaska, embracing 
^ ^ntj five hundred thousand square miles, was purchased 

by the United States, the same year, from Russia 
for seven million two hundred thousand dollars. 



1870 



THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT. 



275 



CHAPTER 11. 

grant's administration — 1 869-1 877. 




1. Inauguration. — 

General Ulysses S.Grant, 
of Illinois, was inaugu- 
rated the eighteenth 
president, March 4, 1869. 
Schuyler Colfax, of In- 
diana, had been elected 
vice-president. 

2. The Principal 
Events that marked 
this administration 
were : 1. The comple- 
tion of the Pacific Rail- 
road. 2. The adoption 
of the Fifteenth Amend- 
ment. B. The death of General Lee. 4. The Credit Mo- 
bilier. 5. The settlement of the Alabama Claims. 6. The 
Modoc War. 7. Difficulties in Louisiana. 8. The admis- 
sion of Colorado. 9. The Centennial Exposition. 10. In- 
dian War. 11. The presidential election. 

3. The Pacific Railroad.— During the first year of 
this administration, the Pacific Railroad, upon 
which had been expended three years of work, was 

finished. It is one thousand seven hundred and seventy- 
seven miles in length, and connects with other railroads 
which bring the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans into commu- 
nication. It cost about seventy-five million dollars. 

4. The Fifteenth Amendment.— The first year of 



U. S. GRANT. 



1869. 



276 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1870 

President Grant's term, Virginia, Mississippi and 
1870 '1'^^^^ were allowed to seat their representatives in 
Congress, and the "reconstruction of the Union" 
was completed. These States adopted the constitution with 
its Fifteenth Amendment, which gave the right of voting 
to all "the citizens of the United States without regard to 
race, color, or previous condition of servitude." 
5. Death of General Lee. — After the close of the war, 
General Lee accepted the office of president of 
1 870 ' Washington College, at Lexington, Virginia, and 
there his last years were spent. His noble and 
eventful life ended October 12, 1870, in his 64th year. The 
news of General Lee's death brought sorrow everywhere. 
In the cities and towns, "the tolling of bells, flags at half 
mast, and public meetings of citizens, wearing mourning, 
marked, in every portion of the South, a great public ca- 
lamity." Those who knew him best, loved him best, and 
the chief mourners were the soldiers, who had followed 
him through so many campaigns, and who had joined in 
the cheers to "Uncle Robert" (their pet name for him) as, 
in his gray uniform, he rode down the lines on his old war 
horse, "Traveller." He left them a noble example. His 
life was one grand illustration of fidelity to duty. His fame 
as a military commander has gone out to the world, and he 
is honored in Europe and America— at the North as well as 
the South— as "the great General, the true Christian, and 
the valiant soldier."* 

^In a letter to his son at school, General Lee wrote : "Never do a 
wrong thing to make a friend or keep one ; the man who requires you to 
do so is dearly purchased at a sacrifice. Deal kindly, but firmly, with all 
your class-mates ; you will find it the policy which wears best. Above 
all, do not appear to others what you are not. If you have any fault to 
find with any one, tell him, not others, of what you complain ; there is 
no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing 



1873 THE MODOC WAR. 277 

6. The Alabama Claims.— The damage done to the 
commerce of the United States, during the war, by the 
Alabama and other Confederate vessels that had been pre- 
pared in British ports, caused bitter feelings between the 
governments of the two countries, and after some corre- 
spondence between them, it was decided that the trouble 
should be settled by treaty. Commissioners from England 
and the United States met in Washington, and formed a 
treaty to settle "all causes of dififerencs between the two 
countries." They also asked for a meeting of delegates 
from the United States, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy 
and Brazil, at Geneva, Switzerland, to make a settlement of 
the claims against England. They decided that England 
should pay fifteen and a half million dollars to the United 
States for the injuries done. 

7. Grant Re-elected. — General Grant was re-elected 
1872. president at the close of his first term. 

8. The Modoc War.— The Modoc Indians in Oregon 
'woyg made a treaty with the United States, promising 

to move to lands that had been set apart for them; 
but as others of their race had done before them, instead of 
leaving the State, they hid among the "lava-beds." When 
commissioners were sent under a flag of truce t.o treat with 

before a man's face and another behind his back. We should liye, act 
and say nothing to the injury of anyone." * * * 

••• * "Duty, then, is the sublimest word in our language. Do your 
duty in all things. * * * You cannot do more; you should never wish 
to do less." 

Fires at the North.— In October, 1871, a terrible fire swept over the 
city of Chicago. It destroyed about eighteen thousand houses, and left 
nearly one hundred thousand persons without homes. 

Immense tracts of forests were burned during the same month in Min- 
nesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. 

The next year, the city of Boston was visited by fire, and a space of 
sixty-five acres was left in ashes. The loss was estimated at seventy-five 
million dollars. 



278 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1873 

them, the Indians fired and killed two white men. War 
then began against the Modocs, and was carried on until all 
their warriors were killed or captured. 

9. The Credit Mobilier. — For the purpose of building 
the Pacific railroad, a company had been formed called the 
Credit Mobilier. The railroad was a grand success, and paid 
a large interest on the money invested. Suspicion had been 
aroused in regard to the votes of some of the members of 
Congress. Investigation revealed the fact that some of them 
had accepted as gifts shares of this railroad stock, and that 
their votes had been influenced by the gifts. Two members 
of the House of Representatives were censured, and one 
Senator was in great danger of losing his seat in disgrace. 

10. Political Troubles. — About this time, political 

troubles of a serious nature were disturbing the peo- 
* pie of Louisiana. Each party, the Democratic and 
the Republican, claimed that its candidate for governor had 
been elected. The president was in favor of Kellogg, the Re- 
publican candidate, but the Democrats thought he had not 
been fairly elected, and that he had no right to the office. By 
the next year,the excitement had become so great that a fight 
between several members of the two parties occurred in the 
streets of New Orleans. Twenty-two men were killed; 
Kellogg fled to the Custom-house for safety. 

The next election brought the same trouble again. 
Louisiana had two governors and two Legislatures. A com- 
mittee sent from Congress decided in favor of the Demo- 
crats. 

Troubles of a similar kind occurred also in South Carolina. 

11. A Panic in money matters was followed by many 
^Qfjo failures in business at this time. Its effects 

were felt throughout the country for several years. 
The chief cause was speculation in railroads, but it was also 
one of the results of the war. 



1876 THE CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION. 279 

12. Colorado came into the Union, the thirty-eighth 
State, in 1876. It has been called the "Centennial State." 

13. The Centennial Exposition.— This republic cele- 

brated its one hundredth anniversary while Gen- 
* eral Grant was president. The great International 
Exhibition or World's Fair was also held at Philadelphia. 
Large buildings were erected in Fairmount Park for the use 
of the exhibitors. The six principal houses covered about 
sixty acres. Products, manufactures and works of art were 
sent from all parts of the world. Nearly ten millions of vis- 
itors attended the exhibition, which was kept open from 
May to November. 

14. Indian War. — When the Sioux (soo) Indians 
agreed to sell to the United States a part of the land lying 
in Dakota Territory, they reserved, for their own hunting 
grounds, the country along the Black Hills. After it was 
reported that gold had been found in the Black Hills, the 
white men flocked there without any regard for the rights 
of the Indians. The Sioux sought revenge by attacking the 
settlers in Montana and Dakota. General Custer was sent 
with a regiment against them. At Little Big Horn river, 
his troops were routed. He was killed in the battle. Other 
Federal forces afterward succeeded in defeating these In- 
dians, and they surrendered. Their chiefs. Sitting Bull and 
Crazy Horse, with a few companions, fled to British America. 

15. The Presidential Election. — Another presidential 

election occurred this year. The Republican can- 
candidates were Rutherford B. Hayes, for presi- 
dent, and William A. Wheeler, for vice-president. The 
Democrats voted for Samuel J. Tilden, of New York, for 
president, and for Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana, for 
vice-president. Both parties claimed the votes of South 
Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, and each accused the other 
of fraud. The matter was finally settled by a commission 



^80 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 18^77 

of five senators, five representatives and five judges of the 
Supreme Court. According to their decision, Hayes and 
Wheeler had received one electoral vote more than the other 
candidates. The Democrats thought this was unjust, but 
they made no further opposition. 



CHAPTER III. 

HAYES' ADMINISTRATION — 1877-1881. 

1. Inauguration. — Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio, was 
inaugurated the nineteenth president, Monday, March 5, 
1877. He had taken the oath at the " White House " the 
day before. 

2. Railroad Strikes. — The depressed state of business 
^ Q^~ which had been caused by the panic of 1873 made 

it necessary to reduce the wages of workmen on 
the railroads. The men were so indignant at this, 
that they stopped work on diff'erent roads and threatened 
the lives of any men who should be employed in their 
places. The number of the strikers increased rapidly. 
They gathered together in mobs, tearing up the railroad 
tracks and stopping the movements of the trains and mails. 
The trouble, which began in Maryland, soon spread through 
other States, and became so unmanageable that the militia 
could not resist it. A request was then sent to the presi- 
dent for help. In the mining regions, the miners joined in 
the strike and the riots. At Petersburg, the State troops 
attempted to arrest the leading rioters, but the crowd fought 
with rocks and bricks. Many persons were killed. Freight 
cars were robbed, depots and machine shops were burned, 
and cars and engines destroyed, amounting to six million 
dollars' worth of property. Riots also occurred at St. Louis, 



I8t8 THE SILVER DOLLAR. 281 

Chicago and other cities. The United States forces were 
sent to quell these disturbances, but it was three weeks be- 
fore peace was restored and the railroads were in working 
order again. 

3. Fisheries. — By the terms of the Treaty of Washing- 
1878 ^^^ with Great Britain, the fishermen of both na- 
tions were allowed to fish in the waters near 

the eastern coast of Canada and of the United States, 
But fish were more abundant along the Canadian shores, 
and, for this reason, these waters were preferred by the fish- 
ing boats. The commissioners decided that the United 
States should pay Great Britain five million five hundred 
thousand dollars for the fishing that had been done in Eng- 
lish waters during the past twelve years. This amount 
was paid. 

4. The Silver Dollar.— Up to this time, paper money 
-jorro had been in general use. It was called "green- 
backs " from the color of the paper upon which 

it was printed. In February, Congress voted in favor 
of coining silver dollars and making them legal ten- 
der, that is, giving the silver dollar a standard value for the 
payment of taxes and revenue duties, although it was not 
really worth so much as gold in market value. After the 
banks resumed specie payment, gold began to circulate 
more freely than it had formerly done. 

5. The Yellow Fever.— This year, a fearful scourge of 
^or,o the yellow fever epidemic desolated the Missis- 
sippi valley from New Orleans to Memphis, and 

the country along the Gulf coast. People fled from their 
homes until whole cities were almost deserted. But there 
were everywhere persons who nobly remained with the 
sick and the dying. Liberal contributions were sent to the 
fever districts from people North and South. The disease 
increased and spread with the heat of the summer sun. Re- 
28 



^82 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1880 

lief came with the frost. The sick were counted b}' thou- 
sands. About seven thousand deaths were reported. 

6. The Ute Indians on White river, in Colorado, had 
.r,Mq been compelled, by the United States agent, to 

work as farm laborers. This, together with the 
constant advancement of the white settlements westward, 
had aroused the hatred of these red men, and they began to 
show signs of resistance. When a small body of Federal 
troops was sent out, they began murdering the white people 
at the agent's station. Several of the soldiers and their 
commanding officer were killed. A friendly chief, who had 
done much for the protection of the women and children of 
the white families, succeeded in quieting the excited and 
discontented members of the tribe. After reinforcements 
arrived, peace was restored without further bloodshed. 

7. Prosperity. — This administration was marked by 
great prosperity throughout the country. The crops of 
wheat, corn and cotton, were unusually large, and when sold 
brought wealth in return. Railroads were built through 
the South and West^these opened to the world rich belts of 
country. Every branch of trade and industry became ac- 
tive and profitable. Hundreds and thousands of emigrants 
from Europe came to our ports. 

8. A New Treaty with China. — The immense num- 

ber of immigrants from China, who flocked to the 
Pacific States, became a subject for serious thought. 
The workingmen began to complain of the competition, be- 
cause the Chinaman was willing to do his work for unrea- 
sonably low wages. The question came before Congress, and 
arrangements were at once begun for a treaty with the Chi- 
nese government, which would give to the United States 
the entire management of emigration from China. 

9. The Election. — The presidential election in this year 
also turned in favor of the Republicans. That party voted 



1881 



DEATH OP PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 



283 



for General James A. Garfield, of Ohio, for president, and for 
Chester A. Arthur, of New York, as vice-president. The 
Democratic candidates were Winfield S. Hancock, of Penn- 
sylvania, and William H. English, of Indiana. 



CHAPTER IV. 



ADMINISTRATIONS OP GARFIELD AND ARTHUR — 1881-1885. 



1 . Inauguration. — 

James A. Garfield, of 
Ohio, was inaugurated 
the twentieth president, 
March 4, 1881. Chester 
A. Arthur had been 
elected vice-president. 

2. The most Impor- 
tant Events of this term 
were: 1. The assassina- 
tion of President Gar- 
field. 2. Arctic explo- 
rations. 3. The execu- 
tion of Guiteau. 4. The 
passage-of the Civil Ser- 
vice Reform Bill. 5. The 
establishment of a new standard of time. 

3. Death of President Garfield.— While 




JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



President 
Garfield and his party were waiting at the Balti- 
more and Potomac depot in Washington City, on 
their way to New England, the president was 
shot. Two balls struck him, one in the arm, another in the 
back. The pistol was fired by Charles J. Guiteau, a man 



July 2, 

1881. 



284 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1881 

who had been disappointed about receiving the appoint- 
ment to an office, for which he had applied. The wounded 
president, accompanied by his physicians, was taken back 
to the White House. During nine weeks, he remained there 
suffering intensely from his wounds ; he was then removed 
to Elberon, on the coast of New Jersey. His physicians and 
friends hoped that he would be benefited by the change, 
but he continued to grow weaker until September 19, 1881 ^ 
the day of his death. 

4. President Arthur. — After the death of General 
a t 90 Grarfield, the oath of office was administered to 

the vice-president, Chester A. Arthur, and he 
became the twenty-first president. David Davis, of Illinois, 
was elected by the Senate to succeed him as vice president. 

5. Arctic Explorations.-~The steamer "Jeannette," 
* owned by Mr. James Gordon Bennett, of New, 

York, had sailed from San Francisco (July 8 
1879) to thft Arctic Ocean. Months and years 
went by, and nothing was heard of the Jeannette. Captain 
Hooper was given the command of a ship, which had been 
made ready to go in search of the missing steamer. He 
reached Wrangell Island two years later (August 12, 1881). 
Captain Hooper believed that he was the first white man 
who had set foot upon this icy coast. He unfurled the 
"stars and stripes" to the Arctic breeze and claimed the 
island for the United States. Explorations proved it to be 
sixty miles long and forty miles wide. Fossil ivory and 
other curiosities were found among the hills and along the 
coast. 

He found that the commander of the '' Jeannette" had 
been compelled to leave his vessel, and with his crew had 
perished near the mouth of the Lena river, off the bleak 
coast of northern Siberia. 

6. The New Apportionment Bill, which liniits the 



1882 CHINESE EMIGRATION. 285 

pi number of representatives in Congress to three 
hundred and twenty-five, was passed by both 
houses this year. 

7. Chinese Emigration. — The Chinese question came 
before Congress for discussion again during this session. 
It was urged that a suspension of Chinese emigration was 
necessary to protect the American laboring men of our 
country. It was also thought that the introduction among 
our western people of one hundred thousand laborers, work- 
ing at low rates of wages, would be a restraint upon inven- 
tions, as there would be no need for labor-saving machines, 
when labor had become so cheap. A bill was passed to sus- 
pend Chinese emigration twenty years. President Arthur 
vetoed this bill, because he thought it was a violation of 
the treaty with China. A month later, a second bill passed 
both houses in which the time for the suspension of immi- 
gration was made ten years, and to go into effect sixty days 
after the passage of the bill. It forbade Chinamen from be- 
coming citizens of the United States, and imposed "fines 
and penalties upon all masters of vessels" who should with- 
out authority land Chinese emigrants upon the Pacific 
shores. 

8. Execution of Guiteau. — After a long and tedious 
Tune SO ^^^^^> Guiteau, who had been in prison since 

the assassination of the president, was found 
guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged. 

He paid the penalty of his crime on the gallows, at the 

United States jail, in Washington City. 

9. River and Harbor Bill. — In April, Congress re- 
1 882 ceived a message from the president, in which he 

recommended that an appropriation of ten mil- 
lions of dollars be made, in addition to that already esti- 
mated, for improving the navigation of the Mississippi 
river, and for protecting the people of the valley from fljods. 



286 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1882 

He said the matter was " of concern to all sections of the 
country, but to the Northwest, with its immense harvests 
needing transportation, and to the inhabitants of the river 
valley, whose lives and property depend upon the con- 
struction of the safeguards which protect them from floods, 
it is of vital importance." Bills had already been pre- 
sented, asking the attention of Congress to the necessity of 
improvements in the rivers and harbors of difierent States. 
The subject was discussed at considerable length, and, after 
several additions, the original bill, which had been intro- 
duced at the suggestion of the president, was passed by both 
houses, under the name of the River and Harbor Bill, and 
sent to the president for his signature. The sense of the 
bill differed somewhat from the recommendation he had 
made. It now asked for eighteen millions to be devoted, 
not only to the Mississippi, but to other local improvements* 

The president refused to sign his name to the bill, and 
stated his objections. He said : " It contains appropria- 
tions for purposes not for the common defense or general 
welfare, and which do not promote commerce among the 
States, but ' are entirely for the benefit of particular locali- 
ties.' " He felt that the constitution had not given to Con- 
gress or to the president the right to make such use of the 
public money. The next day, both houses of Congress 
passed the bill, by a two-thirds vote, over the veto of the 
president. The majority of the people thought the presi- 
dent was right. 

10. Improvements Proposed. — In his message to 
Congress, at its next session, the president advised that all 
revenue taxes should be abolished except those on distilled 
liquors ; that the rate of import duties, and of letter post- 
age should be reduced ; that permanent homes should be se- 
cured to the Indians, and provisions made for their educa- 
tion ; and that some improved method should be devised 
for the appointment of persons in public office. 



188S 1?EW STANDARD OF TIME. ^Sl 

11. Civil Service Reform Bill.— Investigation had 

been made which proved that there were employed 
^S?o' in some of the government departments twice, and 

even three times as many persons as the work re- 
quired. Clerks in these offices often received their appoint- 
ment through the political influence of Congressmen. A bill 
was introduced in the Senate called the Pendleton Civil Ser- 
vice Reform Bill, which was intended to correct the evils 
in the civil service of the United States, and to fill the 
offices with those who would perform the duties of the 
office with " fidelity, capacity and honesty." It authorized 
the president to appoint a commission of " five persons of 
different political parties, of whom Ihree shall hold no offi- 
cial place, and two shall be experienced in public service." 
This commission was to aid the president in all necessary 
arrangements for competitive examinations which appli- 
cants would be required to pass, who wished positions in the 
executive departments of the government in Washington, 
and in those offices throughout the country, post-offices and 
custom houses, which employ more than fifty persons. It also 
provided that no person should receive permanent employ- 
ment until, upon trial, a sufficient capacity for the work 
had been proven. After much discussion, this bill was 
passed by Congress. 

12. Reduction of Postage.— The rate of postage for 
an ordinary letter was reduced, this year, from three cents 
to two cents. 

13. New Standard of Time. — Much annoyance and 

confusion had been caused by the various stand- 
^-jono' ards of time adopted by people in diSerent parts 
of the country, and by different railroads. Of 
those living in the same place, some were governed by local 
time, others by railroad time. The Railway Time Conven- 
tion met in Chicago and adopted an improved system. 



^8S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1883 

The United States was divided into four sections, each of 
which embraced fifteen degrees of longitude. In each sec- 
tion, the local time of the central meridian was to be obser- 
ved as the standard. The first, reaching seven and one-half 
degrees on each side of the 75th meridian west from Green- 
wich, was called "Eastern Time." The second, extending 
seven and one-half degrees on each side of the 90th meri- 
dian, was to have its standard one hour later than "Eastern 
Time," and it was to be known as ''Central Time." The 
third division was measured by the 105th meridian ; it was 
called "Mountain Time," and was two hours slower than 
"Eastern Time." The 120th meridian passed through the 
central part of the fourth division, which reached the Paci- 
fic Ocean. It was to be three hours behind the first section 
and called "Pacific Time." The clocks and watches were 
set by this new standard time, November 18, 1883. 

The questions of tariff and free trade were debated in 
Congress and discussed among the people with greater in- 
terest during this year. 

14. ThePresidentialElectionoccupiedthe attention of 
parties during the fall of this year. The Republican candi- 
dates were, James G. Blaine, of Maine, and John A. Logan, 
of Illinois. The Democrats had nominated Stephen Grover 
Cleveland, of New York, and Thomas A. Hendricks, of 
Indiana. A new party had been formed by the temperance 
reformers who were called the Prohibitionists. They were 
using every effort to banish from the country the use of in- 
toxicating liquors. Delegates from this party met in Pitts- 
burg, and nominated John P. St. John, of Kansas, for presi- 
dent, and William Daniel, of Maryland, for vice-president. 
Benjamin F. Butler, of Massachusetts, represented the in- 
dependent Republicans, who were unwilling to vote for Mr. 
Blaine. After ruling during a term of nearly twenty-five years, 
the Republican party retired from office. The vote of the 
people had turned in favor of the Democrats. 



1885 



THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM. 



289 



15. Democratic Platform. — The Democratic party at 
its last convention had stated the principles which would 
govern its action. This statement was called its platform. 
It promised to make "the preservation of personal rights, 
the equality of citizens before the law, the reserved rights of 
the States, and the supremacy of the Federal government 
within the limits of the constitution, the basis of our liber- 
ties." The party also pledged itself "to revise the tariff, in 
a spirit of fairness to all interests," and to ''limit all taxa- 
tion to the requirement of economical government." 

16. Stephen Grover Cleveland, the son of a Presby- 
terian minister, was 
born in the little town 
of Caldwell, New Jer- 
sey, in 1837. He was 
only three years old 
when his father re- 
moved to Fayetteville, 
in the State of New 
York. His time was 
spent in school, until 
he reached the age of 
fourteen. He then be 
gan work as clerk in 
one of the stores of the 
town. There his in- 
dustry and faithful at" 
tention to his duties 
soon won for him the 
confidence and respect 
of his employers. 

After his father's death, he went to try his fortunes in 
the city of Bufifalo. There he had some hard struggles wuth 
poverty. At length, he decided to begin the study of law. 
29 




PRESIDENT CLEVELAND. 



290 HISTORY OP THE tJNlTED STATES. 1885 

He took the position of office boy for a prominent law firm 
in Buffalo, and obtained the privilege of using the library 
belonging to the firm. By industry and study, he finally 
gained the preparation necessary for admission to the bar, 
to which his ambition had all along pointed him. His first 
advent into public life was as assistant-district attorney, then 
as sheriff. Afterward, at a time when his services were 
greatly needed, he was elected mayor of the city of Buffalo. 
The next step was to the governor's office in the capital of 
New York. While he filled that honored position, he was 
nominated by the Democratic convention as a candidate for 
the presidency. In November, 1884, he was elected, and 
March 4, 1885, he was inaugurated the twenty-second pres- 
ident. 
17. The Death of General Grant. — General Ulysses 
Tnlv 2S ^* Gri'S-'^t was a native of Ohio ; he was born 
April 27, 1822. At the age of seventeen, he 
entered the Military Academy at West Point. 
After his graduation, he served in the Mexican War, under 
General Taylor's command. The official reports of military 
movements and battles during that war, contain honorable 
mention of his gallantry on several occasions. In the early 
part of the Civil War, he commanded a regiment from Illi- 
nois. He rose gradually from rank to rank, until after the 
battle of Shiloh, when he succeeded General Halleck in the 
command of all the western land forces. His genius for 
the management of large numbers of men showed itself in 
his campaigns in Virginia. His success there won for him 
many honors as a great soldier. 

His two terms as president of the United States just after 
the days of reconstruction, were full of important and diffi- 
cult work for the country. After his retirement from office, 
he made a tour around the world, which occupied a little 
more than two years. Grand receptions were prepared for 



1885 TERRITORIAL GROWTH. 291 

him in the principal cities of Europe through which he 
passed, and in India, China and Japan he met with many 
e^-idences of kind feeling and respect for the country which 
he represented. 

After the failures on Wall Street, in 1884, Congress voted 
to place General Grant upon the retired list "with the rank 
and full pay of a general in the army." His health had fail- 
ed ; month after month he suffered from a painful disease 
of the throat, which, in spite of the best medical skill, ended 
his life, July 23, 1885. His death occurred at Mount Mc- 
Gregor, New York, whither he had been removed with the 
hope that his life might be prolonged. 

At the announcement of his death, the flags in Washing- 
ton were hoisted at half mast, and the White House draped 
in mourning. By a proclamation of the president, all places 
of business in the capitol city were ordered to be closed on 
the day of his funeral. 



CONCLUSION. 



Territorial Growth. — The first century of our exist- 
ence as an independent government has shown wonderful 
growth and progress. From a few towns and scattered set- 
tlements along the Atlantic coast, it had reached out to the 
Mississippi, and extended from Florida to the Great Lakes. 
Nearly fifteen years passed before the Louisiana Territory 
was purchased from France. This changed the western 
boundary to the Rocky Mountains and made its southern 
limits reach the Gulf of Mexico. The southern borders were 
widened by the purchase of Florida from Spain, and the ad- 
dition of Oregon extended the breadth of the Union from 
ocean to ocean, while the Mexican cession of Texas, Califor- 
nia and the southern territories, reached on still westward 



292 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. 1885 

and farther toward the South. Alaska has extended our 
possessions into the friged zone. 

Population. — These wide tracts of territory have n«t 
lain idle. Emigrants from Europe have crowded to our ports 
until we now number fifty millions of people, and every 
year adds thousands to those already here. 

Emigrants. — Soon after independence was established, 
the rich lands beyond the mountains began to attract far- 
mers. Settlements were made farther and farther westward. 
Parties, consisting of several families, generally went out 
together. They travelled in heavy, covered wagons ; the 
men and the boys drove the cattle. Those were brave hearts 
that peopled the West in those days. At night, they slept 
around a camp-fire, their dreams broken by the howling of 
wild beasts, and many times by attacks from Indians. 
Friends wept as they parted from those who were going. The 
journey was long and difficult and it was barely possible 
that the travellers would return. The Erie canal led emi- 
grants westward because it afforded transportation for their 
produce back to market. Later, the discovery of gold, in 
California, led farther onward those whose restless spirits 
wished for change, and those who saw fortunes within easy 
reach. 

Inventions. — Broad fields were cleared by those emi- 
grants from the eastern States. The farmer found that he 
and his sons could not do all the work necessary for culti- 
vating and harvesting the crops grown on his wide acres. 
His neighbors too had their hands full of work, and there 
were no laborers that could be hired to help. This made 
men think, and look for some plan to meet the difficulty. 
The result was that machines were invented, to be drawn 
by horses, and which could prepare the ground, sow the 
seed, and reap the grain faster and better than hired hands. 

Wherever the water-power of streams could be applied tg 



1885 IMPROVEMENTS. 293 

machinery, mills and factories have been built. Horses 
have been harnessed to the work, where water could not be 
made available. Each invention has led to another, and now 
•a mightier helper has been taught to do the labor. Steam 
turns the wheels where human strength was once needed- 
It manufactures for us every artiele we use, prints our books 
and papers, warms our houses, and does the heaviest work 
of the laundry. The old cotton cards and spinning-wheels 
have been put aside, and steam is doing their work in the 
mills, steadily and rapidly. In this and in a hundred other 
ways, the old has given place to the new. Steam is working 
everywhere, threshing the grain, bringing it to market, 
lifting it by the elevator to its place in the warehouse, and 
carrying it across the sea to the nations who buy their bread 
from us. 

Kailroads have spread out from one end of the land to 
the other, and they are crossing in every direction. 
Wherever the railroad has pushed its way, the wild forest 
and prairie have been brought under the influences of civ- 
ilization. At every step, villages have sprung up, farms 
have been planted, and churches and school-houses have 
followed. The principal railroad centres have grown into 
large cities. Along these extended routes of travel, every 
arrangement has been made for the comfort of the journey. 
The sleeping car gives to the traveller sufficient rest and 
ease to enable him to go long distances without sufifering 
from fatigue. 

Improvements. — The streets of cities, once dimly 
lighted by the whale oil lamp, but now bright with gas or 
electric lights, have almost forgotten the darkness of night. 
The sewing machine has its place in every home, where it 
does its part to lighten the burdens of household work. 
The printing press from the clumsy beginnings which were 
worked by hand to the steam-power press, which issues 
thousands of sheets every hour. 



294 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1885 

Education. — Nowhere has the advancement of the age 
been so much felt as in the school-room. Large sums of 
the public money have been devoted to the support of com- 
mon schools, so that the means of education may be placed 
within the reach of all. Teachers now spend years of study 
in preparation for their work; and neither time nor money 
are spared in making the best text-books, maps, charts, 
furniture, anything that can be made helpful in the proper 
training of the young. 

Literature. — Academies, high schools, and colleges have 
multiplied everywhere. American authors already rival 
in fame those of Europe. Irving, Bancroft, Prescott, Jones, 
Stephens; Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, Lowell, Hayne, 
Lanier; Cooper, Hawthorne, Holland and Sims, are ac- 
knowledged as equals among their contemporaries beyond 
the sea. 



1865 
1867 
1868 



1869 
(( 

1870 
1873 



1876 
(( 

(( 

1877 
(< 

1878 

a 

1879 
1880 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM 1865. 

Johnson's administration. 
Slavery was abolished in the United States. 
Alaska was purchased by the United States. 
President Johnson was impeached. 

grant's administration. 
The Pacific Railroad was completed. 

The Fifteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution. 
General Robert E. Lee died. 
The Modoc War began. 
The Credit Mobilier was investigated. 
A financial panic began. 
Colorado was admitted. 
The Centennial Exposition was held. 
Indian War began. 

HAYES' administration. 

Railroad strikes gave trouble in the North and West. 

The question of fisheries was settled. 

The Silver Bill was passed. 

The yellow fever epidemic prevailed. 

The Ute Indians caused trouble. 

A new treaty was made with China. 



1885 



REVIEW OF IMPORTANT? EVENl^S 



295 



1881 
(( 

1882 



1883 



10. 

11. 
12. 

13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF GARFIELD AND ARTHUR. 

The death of President Garfield. 

Arctic explorations were made. 

The Chinese Immigration Bill was passed. 

Guiteau was executed. 

The River and Harbor Bill was passed. 

The Civil Service Reform Bill was passed. 

A reduction was made in postage. 

A new standard of time was established. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

What were the principal events of Johnson's administration? 

What were the reconstruction measures adopted by Congress ? 

How was slavery abolished ? 

State the cause of the president's impeachment. 

Name the principal events of Grant's administration. 

What caused the Alabama claims, and how was the matter 
settled? 

What was the Fifteenth Amendment? 

Give the history of the Modoc War. 

Explain the evils of the "Credit Mobilier." 

Give an account of the political troubles in Louisiana and 
South Carolina. 

Give an account of the Centennial Exposition . 

State the circumstances connected with the presidential elec- 
tion in 1876. 

Give an account of the railroad strikes. 

How was the question of fisheries settled ? 

What was the Silver Bill ? 

Give the history of the Chinese Immigration Bill. 

Explain the objects of the River and Harbor Bills. 

State the objects of the Civil Service Reform Bill. 

Explain the new standard of time. 

TOPICS FOR GENERAL REVIEW. 

1. Trace the beginning and progress of slavery in the United 

States, also its influence, and the results of that influence. 

2. In what way did cotton become a great staple? Trace the 

changes which its cultivation produced. Tell how it became 
profitable. 

3. Trace the advancement in education and literature. 

4. What influence followed from the discovery of gold in Cali- 

fornia ? 

5. What effects were produced by the discovery of coal and iron 

mines in America ? 

6. What have railroads and steam done for us ? 



S96 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1885 



PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



1 


Presidents. 
George Washington .... 


Residence. 
Virginia 


Time in office. 

Two terms 

One term 


Date. 

1789-1797. 


2 


Massachusetts. 
Virginia 


1797-1801. 


3 


Thomas Jefferson 

James Madison 


Two terms 

Two terms 

Two terms 

One term 

Two terms 

One term 


1801-1809. 


4 


Virginia 


1809-1817. 


5 




Virginia 


1817-1825. 


fi 


John Q. Adams 


Massachusetts. 

Tennessee 

New York 

Ohio 


1825-1829- 


7 
8 


Gen, Andrew Jackson. 

Martin Van Buren 

William H. Harrison.. 
John Tyler 


1829-1837. 
1837-1841. 


9 


One month 

One term 


1841. 


10 


Virginia 

Tennessee 

Louisiana 

New York 

N'w Ham' shire 
Pennsylvania.. 
Illinois .... 


1841-1845. 


11 


James K. Polk 


One term 


1845-1849. 


12 
13 
1-1 


Gen. Zaehary Taylor.. 

Millard Fillmore 

Franklin Pierce 


Sixteen months. 

Part of term 

One term 


1849-1850. 
1850-1853. 

1853-1857. 


15 


James Buchanan 

Abraham Lincoln 

Andrew Johnson 


One term 


1857-1861. 


^(\ 


One term 


1861-1865. 


17 


Tennessee 

Illinois 


One term 


1865-1869. 


18 


Gen. U. S. Grant. 

Rutherford B. Hayes... 

James A. Garfield 

Chester A. Arthur 

Grover Cleveland 


Two terms 

One term 


1869-1877. 


19 


Ohio 

Ohio 


1877-1881. 


9ft 


Six months 

Part of term 


1881. 


21 

22 


New York 

New York 


1881-1885. 
1885. 











DATE OF ADMISSION OF STATES. 



Vermont... 
Kentucky . 
Tennessee. 

Ohio 

Louisiana. 
Indianna .. 
Mississippi 

Illinois 

Alabama... 

Maine 

Missouri.... 
Arkansas .. 
Michigan .. 



1791 


27 


1792 


28 


1796 


29 


1802 


80 


1812 


31 


1816 


32 


1817 


33 


1818 


34 


1819 


35 


1820 


36 


1821 


37 


1836 


38 


1837 





Florida 

Texas 

Iowa 

Wisconsin 

California 

Minnesota 

Oregon 

Kansas 

West Virginia 

Nevada 

Nebraska 

Colorado 



1845 
1845 
1846 

1848 
1850 
1858 
1S59 
1861 
1863 
1864 
1867 
1876 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE^. 

July 4, 1776. 



DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF 
AMERICA, ASSEMBLED. IN CONGRESS. 

When, in the coarse of human events, it becomes necessary for one 
people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with 
another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and 
equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, 
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should 
declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal ; 
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ; 
that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, 
to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving 
their just powers from the consent of the governed ; that, whenever any 
form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of 
the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, 
laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in 
such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and 
happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long estab- 
lished, should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accord- 
ingly, all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to 
suffer, while evils are suflferable, than to right themselves by abolishing 
the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of 
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a 
design to reduce tbem under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is 
their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards 
for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these 
colonies, and such is now ihe necessity which constrains them to alter 
their former systems of government. The history of the present king of 
Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having, 
in diract object tha establishment of an absolute tyranny over these 
States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world : 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary 
for the public good. 



298 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing 
importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be 
obtained ; and, when eo suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to 
them. 

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large dis- 
tricts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of repre- 
sentation in the legislature ; a right inestimable to them and formidable 
to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfort- 
able, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole 
purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with 
manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause others 
to be elected ; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, 
have returned to the people at large for their exercise ; the State remain- 
ing, in the meantime, exposed to all the danger of invasion from with- 
out, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States, for that 
purpose, obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners ; refusing to 
pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the condi- 
tions of new appropriations of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent 
to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their 
offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of 
officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. 

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the 
consent of our legislatures. 

He has affected to render the military independent of, and superior toi 
the civil power. 

He has combined, with others, to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to 
our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws ; giving his assent to 
their acts of pretended legislation : 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us : 

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any mur- 
ders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States ; 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world : 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent: 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury : 

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences : 



iJEdLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE* ^^9 

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring prov- 
ince, establishing therein an arbitrary government and enlarging its 
boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for 
introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies : 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and 
altering, fundamentally, the powers of our government : 

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested 
with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protec- 
tion, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and 
destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to 
complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun, 
with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most 
barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high seas, 
to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their 
friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. 

He has excited dooaestic insurrection amongst us, and has endeavored 
to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, 
whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all 
ages, sexes, and conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress, in 
the most humble terms ; our repeated petitions have been answered only 
by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every 
act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. 

We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts made by their 
legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have 
reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement 
here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and 
we have conj ured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow 
these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and 
correspondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and 
consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which 
denounces our separation, and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind 
—enemies in war, in peace, friends. 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of Ambkica, 
in GENERAL CONGRESS assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the 
world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by theau 
thority of the good people of tbese colonies, solemnly publish and de- 
clare, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and 



aoo 



HISTORY 0^ THE tNlTED STATSS. 



independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the Brit- 
ish crown, and that all political connection between them and the state 
of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved ; and that, as free 
AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full powcr to levy war, conclude 
peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and 
things which independent States may of right do. And for the support 
of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of DIVINE 
PROVIDENCE, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortanes 
and our sacred honor. 

(Signed) John Hancock. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

Josiah Bartlett, 
William Whipple, 
Matthew Thornton. 

MASSACHUSETTS BAY, 

Samuel Adams, 
John Adams, 
Robert Treat Paine, 
Elbridge Gerry. 

RHODE island. 

Stephen Hopkins. 
William Ellery. 

CONNECTICUT. 

Roger Sherman, 
Samuel Huntington, 
William Williams, 
Oliver Wilcott. 

NEW YORK. 

William Floyd, 
Philip Livingston, 
Francis Lewis, 
Lewis Morris. 



NEW JERSEY. 

Richard Stockton, 
John Witherspoon, 
Francis Hopkinson, 
John Hart, 
Abraham Clark. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Robert Morris, 
Benjamin Rush, 
Benjamin Franklin, 
John Morton, 
George Clymer, 
James Smith, 
George Taylor, 
James Wilson, 
George Ross. 

DELAWARE. 

Csesar Rodney, 
George Read, 
Thomas McKean. 

MARYLAND. 

Samuel Chase, 
William Paca, 
Thomas Stone, 



Charles Carroll, of Carroll- 
ton. 

VIRGINIA. 

George Wythe, 
Richard Henry Lee, 
Thomas Jeflferson, 
Benjamin Harrison, 
Thomas Nelson, jr., 
Francis Lightfoot Lee, 
Carter Braxton. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

William Hooper, 
Joseph Hewes, 
John Penn. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 

Edward Rutledge, 
Thomas Heyward, 
Thomas Lynch, jr. 
Arthur Middleton. 

GEORGIA. 

Button Gwinnett, 
Lyman Hall, 
George Walton. 



After the Constitution had been adopted by the Convention, Sept. 17, 
1787, it was ratified by conventions held in each of the States. 



CONSTITUTION 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* 



We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect 
union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the 
common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings 
of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this 
Constitution for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE I— Section 1. 

1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress 
of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives. 

Section 2. 

1. The House of Repesentatives shall be composed of members chosen 
every second year by the people of the several States; and the electors in 
each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most 
numerous branch of the State Legislature. 

2. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to 
the age ot twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the 
United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that 
State in which he shall be chosen. 

3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the 
several States which may be included within the Union, according to their 
respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole 
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of 
years, and excluding the Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other per- 
sons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after 
the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every 
subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law di- 
rect. The number of representatives shall not exceed one for every 

•The paragraphs, into which each section is divided, are called clauses 
of the articles and sections of the Constitution. 



302 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least one representative ; 
and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire 
shall be entitled to choose three; Massachusetts, eight; Rhode-Island and 
Providence Plantations, one; Connecticut, five; New York, six; New Jersey, 
four ; Pennsylvania, eight; Delaware, one ; Maryland, six ; Virginia, ten ; 
North Carolina, five ; South Carolina, five ; and Georgia, three. 

4. When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, 
the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such 
vacancies. 

5. The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other 
officers, and shall h^ve the sole power of impeachment. 

Section 3. 

1. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two sena- 
tors from each State, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years ; and 
each senator shall have one vote. 

2. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the 
first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three 
classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall be vacated at 
the expiration of the second year, of the second class at the expiration 
of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth 
year, so that one-third may be chosen every second year ; and if vacan- 
cies happen, by resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the leg- 
islature of any State, the executive thereof may make temporary ap- 
pointments until the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall then 
fill such vacancies. 

3. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age 
of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and 
who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State for which he 
shall be chosen. 

4. The vice-president of the United States shall be president of the 
Senate, but shall have no yote, unless they be equally divided. 

5. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a president 
pro tempore, in the absence of the vice-president, or when he shall ex- 
ercise the office of president of the United States. 

6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When 
sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When 
the president of the United States is tried, the chief -justice shall pre- 
side ; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of 
two-thirds of the members present. 

7. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than 
to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office 



CONSTITUTION OP THE UNITED STATES. 303 

of honor, trust, or profit, under the United States ; but the party con- 
victed shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judg- 
ment and punishment, according to law. 

Section 4. 

1. The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and 
representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature 
thereof ; but the Congress may at, any time, by law, make or alter such 
regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators. 

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such 
meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by 
law appoint a different day. 

Section 5. 

1. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifi- 
cations of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a 
quorum to do business ; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to 
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent mem- 
bers, in such manner, and under such penalties as each house may 
provide. 

2. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish 
its members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two- 
thirds, expel a member. 

3. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time 
to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judg- 
ment, require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members of either 
House, on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, 
be entered on the journal. 

4. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the 
consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other 
place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. 

Section 6. 

1. The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation for 
their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treas- 
ury of the United States. They shaH, in all cases, except treason, 
felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during 
their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going 
to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in either 
House, they shall not be questioned at any other place. 

2. No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he 
was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the 
United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof 



304 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

shall have been increased during such time; and no person holding any 
office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during 
his continuance in office. 

Section 7. 

1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Represen- 
tatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on 
other bills. 

* 2. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives 
and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the presi- 
dent of the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he 
shall return it, with his objections to the House in which it shall have 
originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and 
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that 
House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the ob- 
jections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, 
and if approved by two-thirds of that House it shall become a law. But 
in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas 
and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against tue bill 
shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If any bill 
shall not be returned by the president within ten days (Sundays ex- 
cepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a 
law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their 
adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

3. Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the 
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a ques- 
tion of adjournment) shall be presented to the president of the United 
States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, 
or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the Sen- 
ate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations 
prescribed in the case of a bill. 

Section 8. 
The Congress shall have power — 

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the 
debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the 
United States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform 
throughout the United States ; 

2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States ; 

3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the sev- 
eral States, and with the Indian tribes ; 

4. To establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws 
on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States ; 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 305 

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, 
and fix the standard of weights and measures ; 

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and 
current coin of the United States ; 

7. To establish post-offices and post-roads ; 

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for 
limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their 
respective writings and discoveries : 

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; 

10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high 
seas, and offences against the law of nations ; 

11. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make 
rules concerning captures on land and water; 

12. To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to 
that use shall be for a longer term than two years ; 

13. To provide and maintain a navy ; 

14. To make rules for the government and regulation of the land 
and naval forces ; 

15. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the 
Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions ; 

16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and 
for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of 
the United States, reserving to the States respectively the appointment 
of the oflacers, and the authority of training the militia according to 
the discipline prescribed by Congress; 

17. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over such 
IJstrict (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particu- 
lar States and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the gov- 
ernv ent of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all 
places*, purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the State in which 
the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock- 
yards, and other needful buildings ; and, 

18. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying 
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this 
Constitution in the government of the United States, or any department 
or officer thereof. 

Section 9. 
1. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the States 
now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the 
Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but 
a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten 
dollars for each person. 



306 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

2. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended 
unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may re- 
quire it. 

3. No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed. 

4. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in propor- 
tion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. 

5. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State. 
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or 
revenue to the ports of one State over thoss of another : nor shall ves- 
sels bound to or from one State be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties 
in another. 

6. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of 
appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement and account of 
the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published 
from time to time. 

7. No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States ; and 
no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, with- 
out the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, 
office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign 
State. 

Section 10. 

1. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant 
letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit; make 
anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass 
any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of 
contracts, or grant any title of nobility. 

2. No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any im- 
posts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely 
necessary for executing its inspection laws ; and the net produce of all 
duties and imposts laid by any State on imports or exports shall be for 
the use of the treasury of the United States ; and all such laws shall be 
subject to the revision and control of the Congress. No State shall, with- 
out the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships 
of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another 
State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded 
or in sucti imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II.— Section 1. 
1. The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United 
States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years 
and, together with the vice-president, chosen for the same term, be 
elected, as follows; 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 307 

2. Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof 
may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of sena- 
tors and representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Con- 
gress ; but no senator or representative, or person holding an oflQce of 
trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. 

The 12th Article of Amendments has been adopted instead of Clause 3. 

4. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and 
the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the 
same throughout the United States. 

5. No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United 
States, at the time of the adoption of this Consti'ution, shall be eligi- 
ble to the oflQce of president ; neither shall any person be eligible to that 
office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five ypars, and 
been fourteen years a resident within the United States. 

6. In case of the removal of the president from office, or of his 
death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of 
the said office, the same shall devolve on the vice-president, and the 
Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resigna- 
tion, or inability, both of the president and vice president, declaring 
what officer shall then act as president, and such officer shall act accord- 
ingly, until the disability be removed, or a president shall be elected. 

7. The president shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com- 
pensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the 
period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive 
within this period any other emolument from the United States or any 
of them. 

8. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the fol- 
lowing oath or affirmation : 

" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the 
office of president of the United Stat'^s, and will to the best of my 
abilty, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United 
States." 

Section 2. 

1. The president shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of 
the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called 
into the actual service of the United States ; he may require the opinion, 
in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, 
upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he 
shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the 
United States, except in cases of impeachment. 

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators present con- 



308 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

cur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of 
the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and con- 
suls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United 
States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and 
which shall be established by law; but the Congress may by law vest 
the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the 
preside ot alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

3. The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may 
happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which 
shall expire at the end of their next session. 

Section 3. 

1. He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress in formation of the 
state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such meas- 
ures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may, on extraordi- 
nary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of 
disagreement between them with respect to the time of adjournment, 
he may adjourn them to such time as he phall think proper ; he shall re- 
ceive ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the 
laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the 
United States. 

Section 4. 

1. The president, vice-president and all civil officers of the United 
States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction 
of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III.— Section 1. 

1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Su- 
preme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time 
to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and infe- 
rior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at 
stated times, receive for their services a compensation which shall not 
be diminished during their continuance in office. 

Section 2. 
1. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity aris- 
ing under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties 
made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases affect- 
ing ambassadors, or other public ministers and consuls ; to all cases of 
admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the 
United States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more 
States ; between a State and citizens of another State : between citizens of 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 309 

different States ; between citizens of the same State claiming lands un- 
der grants of different States; and between a State, or the citizens 
thereof, and foreign States, citizens or subjects. 

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and con- 
suls, and those in which a State shall be party, the Supreme Court shall 
have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the 
Supreme Court shalihave appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, 
with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall 
make. 

3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be 
by jury ; and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes 
shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, 
the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law 
have directed. 

Section 3. 

1. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war 
against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or com- 
fort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of 
two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. 

2. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of trea- 
son, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or for- 
feiture except during the life of the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV.— Section 1. 

1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, 
records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress 
may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which sach acts, records, 
and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof. 

Section 2. 

1. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and 
immunities of citizens in the several States. 

2. A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other 
crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, 
on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, 
be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the 
crime. 

3. No person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws 
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or reg- 
ulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be 
delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor 
may be due. 



SlO HISTORY OF THE UNITED STA1?ES. 

Section 3. 

1. New States may be admitted by the Congress into the Union ; but 
no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any 
other State; nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more 
States, or parts of States, without the consent of the Legislature of the 
States concerned as well as of the Congress. 

2. The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful 
rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belong- 
ing to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so 
construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any par- 
ticular State. 

Section 4. 
1. The United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union a 
republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against 
invasion ; and, on application of the Legislature, or of the executive 
(when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence. 

ARTICLE V. 

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it nec- 
essary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the appli- 
cation of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a 
convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the Constitution, when rati- 
fied by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, or by con- 
ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi- 
cation may be proposed by the Congress: provided, that no amendment 
which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and 
eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth 
section of the first article ; and that no State, without its consent, shall 
be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VL 

1. All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the 
adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United 
States under this Constitution as under the Confederation. 

2. This Constit anion, and the laws of the United States which shall 
be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be 
made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme 
law of the land ; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, 
anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary not- 
withstanding.- 

3. The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the mem- 



km. 



Constitution of the united states. Sll 

bers of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial oflB.- 
cers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound 
by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious 
test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust 
under the United States. 

ARTICLE Vll. 
The ratification of the conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for 
the establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying 
the same. 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 

ARTICLE I. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof ; or abridging the freedom of speech, 
or of the press ; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and 
to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

ARTICLE IL 
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, 
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. 

ARTICLE III. 
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without 
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be 
prescribed by law. 

ARTICLE IV. 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, 
and eftects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio- 
lated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported 
by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing t*ie place to be 
searched, and the person or things to be seized. 

ARTICLE V. 
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous 
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in 
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the miiitia, when in actual 
service in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject 
for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of lifr or limb ; nor shall 
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself; nor 
be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor 



31^ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

shall private property be taken for public use without just compensa- 
tion. 

ARTICLE VI. 
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a 
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district 
wherein the crime shall have been cotnmitted, which district shall have 
been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and 
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; 
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to 
have the assistance of counsel for his defence. 

ARTICLE VII. 
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed 
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact 
tried by a j ury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United 
States, than according to the rules of the common law. 

ARTICLE VIII. 
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor 
cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

ARTICLE IX. 

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be con- 
strued to deny or disi^arage others retained by the people. 
ARTICLE X. 
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, 
nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, 
or to the people. 

ARTICLE XI. 

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to ex- 
tend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one 
of the United States by citizens of anotber State, or by citizens or sub- 
jects of any foreign Sta^e. 

ARTICLE XII. 

The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for 
president and vice president, one of whom at least shall not be an in- 
habitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their 
ballots the person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the per- 
son voted for as vice-president, and they shall make distinct lists of all 
persons voted for as president and of all persons voted for as vice, 
president, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall 
sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the 



OonstItution op the united states. ^1^ 

tJnited States directed to the president of the Senate. The president of 
the Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted ; the person 
having the greatest number of votes for president, shall be the president, 
if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed ; 
and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the 
highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as 
president, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by 
ballot, the president. But in choosing the president, the votes shall be 
taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote ; a 
quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two^ 
thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to 
a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a presi- 
dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the 
fourth day of March next following, then the vice-president shall act as 
president, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of 
tixe president. The person having the greatest number of votes as vice- 
pres'dent, shall be the vice-president, if such number be a majority of 
the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major- 
ity, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose 
the vice-president ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of tw^-thirds 
of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the whole number 
shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible 
to ihe office of president shall be eligible to that of vice-president of the 
United States. 

ARTICLE XIII.— Sec. 1. 

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for 
crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist 
within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 

'2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 
legislation. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to 
the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States £nd of the 
State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which 
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United 
States ; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or prop- 
erty, without due process of law, nor deny any person within its juris- 
diction the equal protection of the laws. 

2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States ac- 
cording to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of 
persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right 



314 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

to vote at any election for the choice of electors for president and vice- 
president of the United States, representatives in Congress, the executive 
and judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, 
is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being 21 years of 
age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for 
participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representati ^n 
therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such 
male citizensshall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one 
years of age in such State. 

2. No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or 
elector of president and vice-president, or hold any office, civil or 
military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having pre- 
viously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the 
United States, or as a member of any State Legislature, or as an execu- 
tive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the 
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the 
same or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, 
by a vote of two thirds of each house, remove such disaj^ility. 

4, The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized 
by law, including debts incurred for payments of pensions and bounties 
for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be ques- 
tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or 
pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion 
against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of 
any slave ; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal 
and void. 

5. The Congress shall have power to enforce by appropriate legislation, 
the provisions of this article. 

ARTICLE XV. 

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied 
or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color 
or previous condition of servitude. 

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropri- 
ate legislation. 



INDEX 



Acadia, 16 ; inhabitants scattered, 84 

Adams' John, 159 ; death, 185. 

Adams. John Quincy, 184. 

Alabama admitted, 182. 

Alabama Claims 277. 

Alabama sunk, 261. 

Alaska, 274. 

Albemarle, 64. 

Algiers, War with, 180. 

Amendment, fourteenth, 373. 

Amendment, fifteenth, 275. ^ 

America discovered, 5 ; naming, 11. 

America, South, 8. 

American army, 105 ; 114. 

Amherst, Gen., 89. 

Amsterdam, New, 51. 

Andre captured, 135. 

Andros, Sir E., 49. 

Anna, North, 252. 

Apportionment Bill, 284. 

Arctic explorations, 284. 

Arn old's march to Quebec, 107 ; his 
treason, 135 ; reward, 136 ; in Vir- 
ginia, 138. 

Argus, 176. 

Arkansas admitted, 191. 

Army disbanded. 143. 

Articles of Confederation, 121. 

Arthur, President, 284. 

Atlanta, 257 ; battles of, 258 ; fall of, 
258; burned, 259. 

Atlantic cable, 208. 

Augusta, 74 ; 140. 

Augustine, St., 16. 

Bacon's rebellion, 30. 
Baltimore, Lord, 61. 
Baltimore, 178 ; riot in, 220. 
Beauregard, 217 ; 253. 
Bennington, 118. 
Buena Vista, 199. 
Big Bethel, 222. 
Black Hawk war, 188. 
Bleeding wounds, 202. 
Blockade, 163. 



Boone, Daniel, 157. 

Boston, 35 ; troops in, 97 ; massacre, 
97; tea-party, 99; port-bill, 99; 
sympathy for, 99 ; evacuation of, 
108 

Braddock's advance, 84. 

Bragg, 230 ; in Kentucky, 239. 

Bragg and Rosecrans, 247. 

Breckinridge, 253. 

Breed's Hill, fortified, 104. 

Briar Creek, 126. 

British goods, 96; peace commis- 
sioners, 122; traders., 181. 

Brown's (John) raid, 208. 

Brown, Joseph E., 257. 

Buffalo, 177. 

Bunker HiH, 104. 

Burgoyne's advance, 117 ; surren- 
der, 119. 

Burnside, 238. 

Cabots, The, 11. 

Cabinet, 155. 

Canada invaded, 107; 169; 1*0; 

campaign in, 177. 
Canadian rebellion, 193. 
California, 198; 202; gold, 201; ad- 

mitted, 204. 
Calhoun, 189 ; death, 204. 
Capitol changed, 160 ; 220. 
Carolina, 65 ; cavaliers in, 69. 
Carolina, North, 66. 
Carolina, South, 129 ; 130. 
Cartier, 15. 

Causes of the war, 219. 
Cedar Run, 237. 
Cerro Gordo, 200. 
Chad's Ford, 117. 
Chambersburg, 254. 
Champlain, 16. 
Chancellorsville, 242. 
Charleston, 67 ; 109 ; 130 ; attacked, 

109. 
Chattonooga, 248. 
Cherokee, War with, 91; 110. 



Che 



INDEX. 



Gil 



"Chesapeake," 164. 

Chesapeake Bay, 176. 

Chickamauga, 247. 

China, 195 ; new treaty with, 282. 

Chinese emigration, 285. 

Civil Service, 287. 

Clarendon, 65. 

Clay, Henry, 189 ; death, 204 ; com- 
promise bill, 188; 204. 

Clayborne, William, 62. 

Cleveland, Prest., 289. 

Close of the war, 142. 

Coal discovered, 152. 

Cold Harbor, 253. 

Cold Saturday, 120. 

Colonies, difiFerences, 147. 

Colorado, 279. 

Columbus, 3 ; voyage, 4 ; discovery, 
5 ; return, 6 ; second voyage, 7. 

Columbia river explored, 161. 

Concord, 102. 

Confederates, 266 ; troops, 220 ; in 
Virginia, 222 ; navy, 225. 

Congress, 96 ; 154 ; Continental Con- 
gress, 100; 104. 

Constitution of U. S., 154. 

"Constitution," 171; 172. 

Conway Cabal, 120. 

Cornwallis, Retreat of, 115 ; procla- 
mation, 133; movements, 134; in 
Virginia, 141; surrender, 137. 

Cotton Mather, 50. 

Cotton gin invented, 152. 

Cowpens, 137. 

Credit Mobilier, 278. 

Creek Indians, 175 ; 185. 

Cross and lilies, 78. 

Crown Point, 85, 103. 

Culpepper, 30. 

Dade, Maj., 191. 

Dalton, 256. 

Danes, The, 56. 

Davis, Jefferson, 210 ; inaugurated, 

227; captured, 266. 
Debts, 266. 
Declaration of Independence, 111 ; 

of war, 169. 
Delaware, Lord, 27. 
Democratic platform, 289. 
D'Estaing's fleet, 123. 
DeSoto, 170, 
Detroit, 170. 
Dress, 150. 
Drewry's Bluff, 232. 



Dutch, The, 61 ; traders, 51; cus- 
toms, 52 ; homes, 53 ; habits, 53 ; 
dress, 53 ; government, 54 ; 
Dutch and English, 55. 

Duke of York, 54. 

Du Quesne, Fort, 83 ; 88. 

Early, Gen., 253; invasion, 254. 

Education, 57. 

Elizabeth, 57. 

Election, 279; 282; 288. 

Electoral CoUege, 154. 

Emancipation, 241. 

Embargo act, 165. 

Emigrants, 292 ; aid societies, 206. 

England, 167 ; condition, 134. 

English, The, 61 ; rule, 54 ; claims, 
80. 

"Enterprise," The, 176. 

Erie, Fort, 177 ; canal, 185. 

"Essex," The, 171. 

Eutaw Springs, 140. 

Federals in Virginia, 220; fleet, 251. 

Federalists and anti-federalists, 156. 

Fisher, Fort, 262. 

Fisheries, 281. 

Fishdam Ferry, 135. 

Five Forks, 264. 

Fires at the North, 27l 

Four parties, 209. 

Florida, 183 : 195 ; war in, 190 ; 193. 

France and England, 78. 

France, Assistance from, 116 ; trou- 
ble with. 158. 

Franklin, 259. 

Fredericksburg, 238. 

French settlers, 70 ; alliance. 111 ; 
forts, 81 ; fleet, 135. 

French and Indian war, 81. 

Frenchtown, 172. 

Frontenac, 88. 

Fugitive slave law, 205. 

Furniture, 149. 

Gadsden purchase, 205. 

Garfield, President, inaugurated, 

283 ; death, 283. 
Gates, Gen., 132. 

Georgia, 72 ; 100 ; 103 ; invaded, 144. 
George, Fort, 173, 
George, Lake, 85. 
Genet, Citizen, 158. 
Germantown, 119. 
Gettysburg, 245. 
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 17. 



G07 



INDEX. 



Mis 



Gorges, 41. 

Government of U. S., 155. 
Grand Model, 65. 
Grant, 252 ; 290. 

Green, Gen., 136; in Carolina, 137; 
retreat. 138; among the hills, 140. 
Growth, 60 ; 148 ; 291. 
Guadaloupe Hidalgo, 200. 
Guilford C. H., 138. 
Guiteau, 383. 

Harper's Ferry, 238. 

Harrison. President, 194 ; death, 194. 

Hart, Nancy, 125. 

Hartford convention, 179. 

Harvard University, 44. 

Henry and Donaldson, Forts, 227. 

Hobkirk's Hill, 139. 

Home of the settler, 68. 

Hood in Tennessee, 258. 

Hooker, Gen., 241. 

Hudson, Henry, 21, 

Hudson, Port, 247. 

Huguenots, 15. 

Iowa admitted, 195. 

Illinois admitted, 185. 

Impeachment, 373. 

Improvements, 286 ; 293. 

Indians, 8 ; 34 ; 66 ; 73 ; 155 ; massa- 
cre, 28 ; war, 29 ; 52 ; 279 ; corn, 
34 ; treaty, 55 ; subdued, 158 ; re- 
moved, 190; Ute, The, 282. 

Indians with the French, 80. 

Indiana admitted, 180. 

Indigo, 75. 

Industries, 147. 

Inventions, 292. 

Jamestown, 23. 

Jackson inaugurated, 187. 

Jackson, T. J., 234 ; joins Lee, 235 ; 

campaign in the valley, 234 ; 

wounded, 242 ; death, 243. 
Japan, Negotiations with, 347. 
Jerseys united, 57. 
Jasper, Sergeant, 110. 
Jefferson, 161 ; death, 185. 
Jones, Paul, 128. 
Johnson, 86. 
Johnston's retreat, 228; 248; in 

North Carolina, 263 ; surrender, 

265. 

K:ansas, 205 ; 206 ; 211. 



Kearney, Gen., 198. 
Kennesaw, 257. 
Kentucky, 157. 
Kettle Creek, 126. 
Kidd, Capt. 56. 
King's Mountain, 133. 
Know-nothings, 206. 
Knoxville, 248. 

LaFayette, 116; 184. 

LaSalle, 79. 

Laws, 36 

Lawrence, Capt., 174. 

Lee, Gen. Chas., 113; 122. 

Lee, Gen. R. E , 233 ; 245 ; 264. 

Lexington, 101. 

Lincoln, Gen., 125. 

Lincoln, President, 217 ; proclama- 
tion, 220 ; death, 265 ; 276. 

Literature, 294. 

London and Plymouth Co., 20. 

Loudon, Fort, 91. 

Long Island, 112. 

Louisburg, 87. 

Louisiana, 79 ; purchase, 161 ; ad- 
mitted, 167. 

Losses, 266. 

Lundy's Lane, 177. 

Madison, Jas., 166. 

Mail line, 64. 

Maine, 43. 

Manhattan Is., 21. 

Manassas, 233 ; 237. 

Mansfield, 200. 

Marion, 131 ; 139. 

Marquette, 79. 

Maryland, 237. 

Mason and Dixon's Line, 64. 

Mason's grant, 42. 

Mass. Bay Co., 35. 

Mayflower, The, 33. 

Meade, Gen., 245. 

Mecklenburg declaration, 103. 

Melendez, 16. 

Meig's, Fort, 173. 

Memorial day, 373. 

Meridian campaign, 249. 

Mexico, city of, 200. 

Mexican war, 197. 

Mifiain and Mercer, Forts, 120. 

Minuit, Peter, 51. 

Minnesota admitted, 181. 

Mississippi, The, 78 ; west of, 227. 



Mis 



INDEX. 



Sac 



Mississippi admitted, 181. 

Missionary Ridge, 248. 

Missouri admitted, 183; compro- 
mise, 183. 

Mobile, 261. 

Modoc war, 277. 

Monitor and Virginia, 228. 

Monmouth, 122. 

Monroe inaugurated, 181 ; doctrine, 
184. 

Montreal, 90. 

Morris, Robt, 137. 

Morristown, 29. 

Mormons, 208. 

Moultrie, Fort, 110. 

McClellan, Gen., 233. 

National bank, 190. 

Nevada, 262. 

Naval operations. 248 ; 261. 

Navigation Acts, 94. 

Navy, 169; 179. 

Nashville, 227 ; 259. 

Nebraska, 274. 

Necessity, Fort, 83. 

Negroes. 68 ; 74 ; 373. 

New England, 45 ; house in, 37. 

New Haven, 41. 

New Hope Church, 257. 

New Jersey, 56. 

New Netherlands, 51. 

New Orleans, 179 ; fall of, 230. 

Newport, 39. 

New Sweden, 60. 

Niagara, Fort, 85. 

Ninety -Six, Fort, 139. 

Northeastern boundary, 194. 

Northmen, The, 2. 

Northwestern boundary, 196. 

Northwest Territory, 143. 

Ohio Co., The, 82. 
Ohio admitted, 161. 
Okolona, 250. 
Okechobee, 193. 
Olustee, 249. 
Omnibus bill, 203. 
Ontario, Fort, 86. 
Oregon, 183. 
Oswego, Fort, 86. 

Pacific Ocean, 12. 
Panic, 191 ; 278. 
Paris, Treaty of, 92. 



Poulus Hook, 127. 

Peace, 180; Congress, 211; commis- 
sioners, 212. 

Penn, William, 58 ; 60 ; treaty with 
Indians 59. 

Pennsylvania, 58 ; campaign, 244. 

Peninsular campaign, 232. 

Pequod war. The, 43. 

Perry's victory, 174. 

Perryville, 240. 

Petersburg, Siege of, 253. 

Philadelpnia, 58 ; 116; 117; 122; 

"Philadelphia," The, 163. 

Pierce, Franklin, 204. 

Pilgrim fathers, 32. 

Plattsburg, 177. 

Pleasant Hill, 250. 

Plymouth, 33. 

Pocahontas, 25. 

Political troubles, 278. 

Polk, Jas. K., inaugurated, 196. 

Ponce de Leon, 12. 

Pontiac war, 91. 

Pope, Gen., 236. 

Population, 292. 

Porter, Com., 176. 

Postage, 287. 

" President," The, 169. 

Princeton, 115 ; college, 57. 

Printing press, The, 45. 

Progress, 165. 

Prosperity, 282. 

Providence, 39. 

Pulaski, Count, 117. 

Quakers, 45; 46. 
Quaker Hill, 123. 
Quebec, 89; 90; 107. 
Quiet, 246. 
Quit rents, 69. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 18. 
Railroads, 186; 293; Pacific, The 

276 ; strikes, 280. 
Reconstruction, 272. 
Red river campaign, 250. 
Rents, 74. 
Resaca, 197 ; 256. 
Revenues, 98. 
Rice, 70. 
Richmond, 240. 
Right of Search, 164. 

Sackett's Harbor, 173, 



22 W 



Sal 



INDEX. 



Tor 



Salzbergers, The, 73. 

San Salvador, 5. 

Santa Fe, 16. 

Sanders' Creek, 165. 

Saratoga, 118. 

Savannah, 73 ; 125 ; 127 ; 261. 

Saybrook, 40. 

Schools, 38 ; 64. 

Schuyler, 107. 

Schuyler, Fort, 118. 

Secession, 205. 

Seminole war, 181. 

Seth Sothel, 70. 

Seven Pines, 233. 

Sharpsburg, 238. 

Sheridan, Gen , 254; 264; 265. 

Sherman, Gen., 256; 260; 263. 

Shiloh, 229. 

Ships, 241. 

Slavery, 28 ; 59 ; 153 ; 157 ; 193 ; 372. 

Slave trade, The, 44. 

Slave States, 182. 

Smith, Kirby, 240. 

Soldiers' Aid Societies, 241. 

South Mountain, 237. 

Southern Confederacy, 210. 

Spanish colonies, 75. 

Spottsylvania, 259. 

Stamp Act, Tbe, 95 ; 96. 

Starving time, 26. 

Steamer, 182 ; steamboat, 165. 

Stephens, A. H., 211. 

Stillwater, 118. 

St. Mary's, 62. 

Stony Point, 127. 

Sub -Treasury bill, 192. 

Sumter, Col., 131 ; 133. 

Sumter, Fort, 217 ; 218. 

Sunbury, 125. 

Surrender, The, 264. 

Tarifif, The, 186. 

Taxes, 30 ; 97 ; 98. 

Taxation, 94. 

Taylor, Gen., 197 ; inaugurated, 202; 

death, 204. 
Taylor, Gen. Richard, 259. 



Telegraph, 195. 
Tennessee admitted, 159. 
Texas, 195 ; 196. 
Thames, Battle of the, 175. 
Ticonderoga, Fort, 88 ; 103. 
Tippecanoe, Battle of, 166. 
Tobacco, 27. 
Tories, 108 ; 125. 
Travelling, 148. 
Trent aflfair, 225. 
Trenton, 114. 
Tripoli, War with, 163. 

"United Stites," The, 171. 
I Dndermining Confederate works, 
265. 

Valley campaign, 234. 

Valley Forge, 120. 

Van Buren, inaugurated, 191. 

Vera Cruz, 199. 

Vermont, 42. 

Verrazanni, 15. 

Vicksburg, 243 ; 246. 

Vinland, 2. 

Virginia, 263 ; northwestern, 222. 

War, Preparations for, 100. 

War of 1812, 167. 

"Wasp," The, 171. 

Washington, Geo., 82; crossing the 
Delaware, 114 ; inauguration, 155; 
whisky, insurrection, 158 ; re- 
tired, 159. 

Washington city burned, 178. 

Webster, Daniel, 189 ; death, 204. 

Wesleys, The, 74. 

West, The. 224 ; 243 

Wilderness, Battle of the, 252. 

William and Mary College, 31. 

Williams, Roger, 38. 

Williams' plantation, 131. 

Wilkinson, Gen., 174. 

Wilmington, 261. 

Yemassees, The, 71. 
Yorktown, 141. 



.h 




•^^..^^ 



r*.* J' \ ^y^^* ** % ' 









V ..<i*..i^,*«o .**.«i^t>-t. co*.c:^«*°o 



iLH"^ . 





: -^^-o* .: 












' ^OV^ 






-. -'I^o* 






* O 



«5^^ .^ 



^o^j 



^ ^^ 't^. 






;* o> 



^ 









c^ A 



^^* o. *; 







»♦ ^^ c» "* 














'^^^'^' 



/% '^^W-- ^*% \HP/ /\ '»TO^.' ** 



V. 







.^^ ." 



^^0^ 



W" .' 






^oV 



Sr ♦!•** > 



^^.''-^•\**' 






^--^^* r'^"- ^^^^^ :^1K: ^^-^^"^ :*^^t 



♦ ^7 



^•1°* .. 



6°-^ 



*> ^ . * * 



'"' *^ 



5? '>^*. '» 



r.-^i-r-^c. "^9* .V-- 



*• 









'v/*<5" 






V. 

















^^ *^;. '*.«*'' 'q..**..^- .o-^ '^-.. -^ 



■v.<«^ 



V >.*,^. V^/ '■^-^■•- 



% 







- ^ 



^-^^ J Aff 131989/^^^ 



-iy . 







